


New Lives, Old Ways

by gatekat, KarlWolfemann



Category: Biker Mice From Mars, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Warehouse 13
Genre: Abuse, Admittance Story, Alternate Universe, Angst, Anthropomorphic, BDSM, Bestiality, Betrayal, Bigotry & Prejudice, Crossover, Dark, Death, Dom/sub Play, Established Relationship, F/M, First Time, Furry, Gang Rape, General Unpleasantness, Haloeth, Interracial Relationship, M/M, Magic, Murder, People becoming Digital, Pregnancy, Prostitution, Romance, Sextual Torture, Slavery, Suicide, Threesome - F/M/M, Time Travel, Torture, Xenophilia, breath play, dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-14
Updated: 2009-11-27
Packaged: 2018-08-24 12:18:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 59
Words: 346,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8372062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gatekat/pseuds/gatekat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarlWolfemann/pseuds/KarlWolfemann
Summary: A trip around Aristal and through time makes and remakes Jake and Chance, and it begins with what everyone hopes is the worst they could possibly face.Notes: This is utterly and completely Have Blue's fault. Blame him! Now why is this Have Blue's fault? Because he wrote and drew S.K.Y. 2: Lost Day about this very subject. Well, kinda. It is about a Lost Day that Jake had. We just went a little further, as frightening as that sounds.Go visit the my page for it or his FA page to see the comic (and a lot more).   Both the BMFM and Warehouse 13 elements are all OCs and not actual fandom, but reading it it's too damn obvious what they are if you know the fandom.





	1. Lost Day: Prolog to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lost Day is a training exercise designed to mimic real hostage conditions. Most high-level military operatives -- anyone expected to be a POW with important intel -- go through said training. This is the opening to Enforcer Cadet Jake Clawson's turn.

"No, sir," Cadet Chance Furlong said firmly even as he stood stiff as a rod before Commander Ulysses Feral and faced the great tom's furious expression and the soft gasp of shock from Lt. Commander Jarrem Blackthorn who was standing behind him to his right.

"No?" the Commander repeated in near-disbelief, staring at the brick of a chocolate on gold tabby in full dress uniform. "I gave you an order, Cadet!"

"Yes sir," Furlong said as he controlled his frantic heart, which was trying to crawl up his dry throat. This was _not_ what he had in mind for his first encounter with the Commander! "I can not obey that order, sir."

"I can have you court-martialed for refusing," Feral pointed out with a dangerous tone.

Furlong swallowed with difficulty and nodded his understanding.

"Why can't you comply?" Blackthorn asked, trying to keep one of his more promising, if troublesome, Cadets out of serious trouble.

"Sir," he turned slightly to face the Lt. Commander. "You know Clawson. If I hand over the security codes to his place, he'll find out eventually. We'd never fly together again, assuming he didn't kill me outright."

"I think you have less faith in his understanding than he deserves," the huge brown tabby told him, almost gently despite the clear reprimand. "Do you really believe he would turn on you for assisting in a mission?"

"No, sir," Furlong said with absolute certainty. "It is not about setting him up for Lost Day, sir. It's for breaking a promise I made to him when he gave me the codes."

The two command officers exchanged looks, and Blackthorn couldn't help but give a confirming nod to the Cadet's assessment of his partner.

"Very well," Feral growled. "Dismissed."

Furlong saluted him crisply and turned on heal, leaving the cousins in the Commander's office.

"You're slipping on discipline," Feral growled in real irritation.

"If your 'experts' could break his security system, we wouldn't have had that conversation, or this one," Blackthorn pointed out grimly. "Don't worry, I can get them. It'll just be the intel we go for with Furlong's LD."

"You could go for a simpler option," Feral sighed in frustration. "Pick him up during a survival trek."

"True," Blackthorn mused. "I'm just glad I'm not on the team against that kat," he chuckled deeply. "Clawson is going to be a challenge, up at Feral standards."

"That I will believe when I see it," Feral grunted as his cousin turned to leave.


	2. Lost Day: Bound to Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They know his file. They know the trouble the capture team had getting him. They think they are ready for Clawson. He intends to prove them wrong.

Jake's ear twitched at a small noise that didn't belong, interrupting his light sleep. Even here in the security of the two-bedroom apartment he'd lived in for over a decade, a place he designed the security system of and had all but rebuilt from the inside out without a single permit being filed, he never sleep that soundly.

Or unarmed.

The only person with any business to come in knew full damn well not to be quiet.

He shifted his arm slightly under his pillow to close his fingers around the small but powerful blaster he kept there and stealthily tensed his body to lunge, roll and fire as soon as he pinpointed where the intruders were.

He could hear the door opening... he still wasn't sure if that was the only place they were coming through or not, but he knew one place to be shooting, at least. Without a sound he slid out of bed, his sateen sheets aiding in the movement. With them still outside, he took the moment to grab a fighting knife from the carpeted floor under his nightstand for his free hand.

When the door was half open he could see a bit of a riffle and boot, and opened fire. A single shot, perfectly aimed to disable with some possibility to kill through the door, aimed at the body mass he could calculate the location of based on what he could see.

The door splintered as the shots punched through it, and he heard a snarl from whoever was behind it. They fell inwards, and he saw a distinctly canine face as the attacker swung to face him, two others rushing in with night-vision goggles on. They both pivoted towards him, firing with their blast-rifles.

Jake could see the surprise as he dodged the blasts, and he couldn't help but grin at the advantage he had. He could see in this light, while their technology limited their field of view of anything that could move as fast as he could.

With only a handful of shots Jake took careful aim, even as he moved with the gymnastic grace he'd become known for on the sparring field. 

The second one went down, collapsing as the shot impacted his chest square above the heart. The third one moved further into the room, firing off a handful of shots that Jake managed to dodge with graceful difficulty before using a third shot to take him down.

He was just turning to get a second blaster from a concealed wall when an explosion of light and sound drew an involuntary cry of pain at being blinded and deafened. He could smell more people coming in, but he couldn't find the blaster, or tell for sure where they were. His ears were ringing painfully as he felt a shot singe his fur and it became even harder to think.

Stun setting.

With the strength born of pure, fear-fueled adrenaline Jake twisted and fired where the shot had come from. He felt them flick on the lights, blinding him even more.

The next shot clipped his arm, and he dropped his blaster when it went numb. He twisted to avoid the trunk shots he knew were coming, tightening his grip on his knife. He needed to get out ... he knew the layout of his home, but he couldn't know where they were!

He gritted his teeth, snarled and bolted for the door. He had to trust feeling the body heat of anything close enough to strike at. He had to get to the workshop in the back room, to the automated targeting robot that was functional enough to protect him until he could see again and fight for real, fully armed and armored with the prototypes he had back there.

He nearly collapsed when another shot caught him square in the back, shutting down his lungs as he ran on his remaining air only to collide squarely with someone blocking the hallway to his workshop.

"Damn you're a stubborn bastard," a deep, angry male voice growled as a full-force punch landed squarely on his face even as he lashed out with the knife only to have his arm twisted until he fell from his grasp with a cry of pain. "You should have just stayed in bed," the voice growled as Jake was held tightly by spread wrists for the stun-blasters to finish their work. 

* * *

Consciousness returned slowly, with pain from every part of his body in the form of tiny needle-pricks of nerve-rich flesh trying to wakeup.

Sitting.

He was sitting up. In a chair. Hard. Metal.

Bound forearms, ankles, shoulders. Even tail.

"About time you woke up," a gruff voice muttered. He was aware of bright light, shining red through his eyelids.

"Who?" Jake asked, fighting the lingering effects of the stuff-blasts to make his mind work.

He was naked too, it finally sunk in.

"We are Lothos," the male told him. "You may call me Captain. I'll give you a chance to make this easy on yourself - what are the access codes for RD1?"

"Your brains must be more addled than they look," Jake snarled at the large black Wolf he was beginning to be able to see. "I'm just a Cadet, dude."

"You are Cadet First Class Jake Clawson, yes?" The Wolf chuckled, eyeing his prisoner with a knowing golden gaze.

"Yes," Jake admitted, most of his attention on figuring out how to get out of the restraints.

"Then you're not _just_ a cadet." He pulled a stun gun out of his pocket, priming the weapon. "Now, are you willing to cooperate, or do I get to have some fun?"

"Just what makes you think I know squat about security codes?" Jake demanded instead of answering directly. He squirmed a bit, working on the restraints without being too obvious that he was doing anything but struggling.

He got the stun-gun to the small of his back for his efforts, fur burning as the power arced across it and the prongs were jabbed into his back.

"Because you're the 'cadet' who designed the Mark 1 Raven," the Wolf rumbled lowly when Jake's scream stilled briefly for a gasp of air.

"Fuck off," Jake snarled through clenched teeth. His ears were flat, and the promise of murder in his large golden eyes.

"This one is going to be _fun_ ," another Wolf commented eagerly from the sidelines.

"Oh yeah," a female agreed with him.

"Heh - you know the regs," the Captain chuckled. "First we ask him nicely... then we ask him not so nicely." He jabbed the stun-gun into Jake's side, mixing a kidney punch with the pain from the shock. "Then we get creative."

Jake growled at him, the pain making his eyes water and it difficult to breathe. He bared his teeth and abruptly jerked forward to close his jaws around an arm that got just a little too close. Grinding his teeth in at the taste of blood and leather, he set his mind to not letting go no matter what they did.

"You..." the Captain snarled in pain and brought the butt end of the stun-gun down on the side of Jake's face even as several others rushed in to help.

They fought to pry his jaw open, but he hung on with tenacity a bulldog would have been jealous of. Even when they bashed him in the back of the head, he hung on, gnawing at the Wolf's arm.

"Back off," the Captain ordered sharply in Lothos, his voice betraying none of the pain of an arm that was nearly crushed. He pulled out a short knife and held it to the hinge of Jake's jaw. "Either you let go, or I'm going to cut myself loose," he growled darkly in Katian.

For a long, tense moment either one moved. Jake didn't let go, but he didn't bite down any harder.

The tip of the blade drew blood and his jaw went slack, but not open.

A little deeper and Jake surrendered, releasing the Wolf's bleeding, damaged arm reluctantly.

"So you do have some sense of self-preservation," the Captain grunted in Katian and shifted to support his broken arm with his good one. "Do some damage," he growled to his second-in-command in Lothos as he turned to get medical attention. "Just not the head. We need that brain intact."

"Break him?" the big male Wolf's tail was wagging frantically.

"Break him hard," the Captain snarled with a nod before disappearing.

"With pleasure," the big male grinned, smashing Jakes face with a massive fist, knocking his chair onto its back and causing blood to dribble down his throat.

"Let me stand him up," the female said. "It'll be a lot more fun."

"Go ahead," he chuckled, letting her right Jake's chair and hook up the chains to his restraints. In a single series of quick movements, she unlocked him from the chair as a winch system hauled him to his feet and spread his legs, his arms above his head.

"Now, where to start...." He walked around behind him, running his hands along Jake's tail, then down to pinch his ass.

"Whips?" she suggested, picking up a riding crop for herself before returning to Jake's front. "You really shouldn't have hurt the Captain," she sneered at him, the crop under his chin as he growled and glared at her.

"Just leave his cock in one piece, remember what our guest wanted," he grinned, picking up a bullwhip himself, giving it an experimental crack just behind Jake's head.

"Oh, _that_ got his attention," she grinned over Jake's much shorter form at her companion. "And I'll leave the bits intact that I'm supposed to," she promised, running the crop down Jake's chest before giving it a quick snap against his abs.

"Tough boy," the male rumbled as Jake hissed, but didn't yell. He snapped the bullwhip across the meat of his shoulders, drawing blood with it and earning a gasp of pain.

"With what it took the retrieval team to take him down, you shouldn't be surprised," she said dryly, though she was grinning and gave him a whack across his balls that finally earned them a yelp.

Jake's eyes teared up as the bullwhip landed across his back again, but he didn't give the large male the pleasure of crying out again.

"I think he likes it," the male sneered. "Let's see about this one." He snapped it again, expertly, clipping Jake's taint with the snapping tip, causing a rush of cool air against his balls as it passed within a fraction of an inch of them.

Jake couldn't stop the startled cry of pure pain.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," he snarled at the female in front of him just before she snapped the crop against his slightly swollen sheath, bruising the soft penis inside.

"Silly kitty," she sneered at him and gave him another whack in the same place. "This is payback for hurting the Captain. Talking won't help you."

"Not a bit," the male chuckled and snapped the whip across his ass.

"He _does_ like it!" she gasped in real surprise. "And he doesn't like that," she grinned viciously at his bowed head and deep blush. "Well now, this has possibilities."

"He really _does_ like it, doesn't he?" He asked, observing Jake's sheath at her exclamation. "Wanna see if I can put my initials on him?"

"Sure," she grinned at him as the big Wolf returned to his spot behind Jake and took up the whip again.

"You're way out of your league," Jake growled at them through gritted teeth, though his tone held a fair bit more fear than even he expected.

"We'll just have to see about that," she rumbled in mounting interest. "The Lieutenant will loosen you up while I get some toys ready, assuming he doesn't prefer to keep beating you instead."

"Let's see if I can do this first," he grinned, snapping the whip across Jake's back once, cutting into his shoulder. The next two weren't connected, but the Wolf was going over for a new whip. He brought it back, long and thin, like a crop made out of a single strand of leather, but it was actually tightly corded.

"Ever hear of a martinet?" He rumbled, taking a few swipes with it for practice, passing it ever closer to Jake's face, clipping his whiskers and trimming the tips off with the last one before he snapped it down Jake's back, opening a deep gash in his back, twisting it upwards at the last second to cut in a curved bottom.

"Ahhrrrr!" Jake screamed in pain as his back was opened up, the tensing of his body only making the pain and bleeding worse. He did his best to focus on memorizing every detail about these two, as he had done with the Captain.

He wanted to know them when he got out.

"Goina kill you," he growled through the pain of a second blow.

"Like you aren't enjoying it," the male chuckled, caressing his stiffening cock with the martinet. "Hell, I bet I could get you off like this, if I wanted to... whaddaya say?" He asked the female with a grin. "Drinks at the Den?"

"You have a bet," she laughed. "Get him off with the whips and I'll buy you drunk tonight."

"So, kitty, you like it like this?" The male grinned, slashing across his ass and opening a nasty gash across his cheeks.

Jake snarled an unintelligible response, but the way his sheath twitched was more than enough confirmation for the Wolves.

"I wonder if he's gay too," she grinned at them. "It would fit, wouldn't it?"

"No," Jake hissed at her, only to cry out as the lash tore at his back again.

"I think he doth protest too much," she licked her chops. "You know how much gay porn gets to me," she cooed at the male.

"Only if it counts as part of the bet," he winked back at her. "And only if you undress too," he rumbled, the next swing cutting down between his ass-cheeks, splitting the more tender skin there.

"Mmm, deal," she grinned. "I'll strip when I'm hot and bothered."

"Works," the male grinned, shucking his clothes and walking around front, showing himself off. "Well, kitty? You like what you see?" He grinned, flexing his muscles before he lashed out again with the martinet, cutting a thin line under one of Jake's nipples.

"No," Jake cried out, though it was impossible to tell if it was in answer to the question or the strike.

"He hasn't seen your best feature yet," the shewolf crooned. "Maybe he'll perk up when he sees it."

"Maybe he will," the Wolf rumbled as his own sheath filled up. "Y'still have the lube in here? Rather not chafe my cock filling up his ass."

"And deny him the pleasure of an unprepared fucking?" she sounded honestly disappointed. "I thought you wanted to win."

"Heh - just askin'," he chuckled. "We'll see how long it takes to make the kitty mewl," he grinned wickedly, moving around behind Jake and flipping the martinet around, jamming the handle up Jake's ass as his cock slipped free of his sheath.

"Oh yeah, he likes it," she grinned and walked up to Jake, forcing his face up with a hand under his jaw. "Show me what you're packing, kitten," she cooed at Jake as she reached down to squeeze his balls tightly. "Your mouth says no, but your body definitely says yes."

"Fuck off," Jake snarled at her, desperate to have the whip out of his ass before it really did make his body betray him fully.

"In time," she promised and turned his head several times to see the cameras recording every moment of this. "I'll get off to you for years, I expect," she sounded nearly giddy at the way he paled at the realization he was being recorded. "The entire world will. You have no idea the kind of money perverts will pay for a steady supply of this."

"Not to mention how much he'll bring in when this goes out on cable," the male grinned, twisting the whip and working it up against Jake's prostate. "But you know _my_ favorite part of playing with little faggots like this."

"Mmm ... yeah, bet his family'll _love_ getting _this_ tape," the bitch grinned, squeezing his balls again.

"No!" Jake gasped, his body trembling. "No," he whimpered more softly.

"Enjoy it, most of the others who fuck you for the camera won't care if you come or not," she advised him with a wicked grin for the way his full, exposed cock twitched at the attention he was getting. "Care to add a little salt to his back?" she asked as Jake stiffened from the whip in his ass.

"Sure thing," he grinned back. "Love a little extra flavor." He spread Jake's ass cheeks, rubbing his thick, rigid cock against the cut there as she went to fetch a saltshaker and handed it to him.

"Are you mated, kitty?" she asked Jake as she came around front again and snapped the crop against his full, hard cock when it began to ooze a bit of pre. "Does your mother know you're a little faggot? Or does she think you're a good little boy because you sired kits on some poor girl?"

Jake refused to answer her with anything more than a cry of pain as the salt dusted his back, melting into the bloody wounds. He could feel himself begin to lose control and held back a sob.

She backed up and whipped his cock with a full strength strike of the crop, earning a startled scream as his eyes went wide.

"I asked you a question." She growled and struck him again. "Are you mated, boy?"

"N-no," Jake gasped out, his breath knocked from his lungs by the sharp pain.

"What do you think his partner will think of having such a dirty, kinky little tailraiser for a gunner?" the male grinned over Jake's shoulder, enjoying the way the kat stiffened even more at the suggestion.

"What pilot has ever taken it well?" she laughed, honestly enjoying the sick, tormented look on the prisoner's face. "Do kats still burn fags?"

"Nah," the male shook his head and worked the whip until Jake's legs were trembling and his bruised balls began to pull up against his body. "They haven't done that for generations."

"Guess he'll have to live with it then," she cooed. "Of knowing anyone he passes on the street may have seen his performance here. Of facing his family and partner and co-workers knowing they've seen this."

"I bet he won't last a month," the male said contemptuously. "He's got quitter written all over him."

"Well, then maybe we can't let him go," she suggested, watching Jake try to hold back the orgasm with lustful eyes. "We can't be responsible for a suicide, now can we?"

"Mmm... yeah, but by the time we're done with him, he might not be any fun any more," the Wolf grinned and slammed the whip deeper into Jake's ass, biting his shoulder roughly as the lean tom screamed as he came, spurting long ribbons of pearly goo onto the floor in front of him.

"True," she rumbled and watched with growing hunger. "It is _so_ hot watching you like this," she shivered and began to strip, giving Jake and the other Wolf a show. "I wonder just how much a fag you are," she caught Jake's chin and forced him to look up at her 

"Not'a fag," Jake growled weakly.

"Says the guy who just creamed all over the floor from being fucked by a whip in the ass," she sneered at him. "Mmm, maybe if you're a good boy, we won't fuck you until you drop."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," the male winked. "Tie him off - he gets one freebie, he'll have to ask for the next one." He pulled the whip out of Jake's ass, then slid his cock up into the tom's well-stretched anus with a lusty groan.

"You don't think getting me off is worth being a little nice?" she raised an eyebrow even as she walked over to their tool box and brought back a cock ring, thick metal needle and some thin red syrup. "If his tongue is as good as his ass seems to be ...."

"Mmm... that's asking nice," he grinned, working Jake's ass expertly to keep the tom hard and needy, while the too-tight cockring she attached to Jake kept their victim from getting off. "Just be careful not to get the stuff back here, okay?"

"Oh, I will," she actually giggled and dipped the tip of the thick needle into the syrup. "Ever played with cock torture?" she waved the tip of the needle near enough his nose for him to realize what the syrup was. His expression of panic mixed with the pleasure he was feeling made her mons pulse.

"N-no," Jake began to struggle again with what little movement he had available to him.

"Well, well, we finally found something that really gets to him," she grinned and grabbed the base of his cock. "You _really_ don't want to squirm, fag," she grinned as he stilled.

It only lasted a second. The moment the capsaicin oil hit the nerves at the tip of his penis he screamed and trashed, unable to exert the will it would take to hold still.

"Oh _fuck_ that's good!" The male groaned, thrusting harder and faster, his knot starting to swell against Jake's anus.

"It'll get better," she promised, managing to force the metal length down Jake's urethra, coating it in oil all the way down, and left it there.

She didn't even notice that she was fingering herself as she watched the prisoner thrashing and screaming in pain he couldn't comprehend while a large Wolf fucked him in the ass.

The male reached around, taking Jake's cock in his hand and stroking it, tightening it around the needle that was leaving him in such agony as he started forcing his fully-swollen knot up into the kat's too-tight ass.

"No!" Jake screamed as his ass was forced to take something larger than his fist without preparation and the pain became blinding. His body trembled uncontrollably as he sobbed, no longer articulate enough to form words.

The blinding pain was mixed with pleasure as the Wolf howled, pumping his ass full of thick semen, his knot trapping it inside as Jake's anus ached and bled a little from the abuse.

The stilling of the Wolf allowed Jake to hang limply for a while, his body slumped forward and most of his weight on his wrists. Somewhere the rod had been removed from his cock, though he had no idea if it was his thrashing or the shewolf. In this group of terrorists, she seemed almost sane ... almost nice.

He was still trying to catch his breath, his focus on breathing and coping with pain when the chains supporting his weight by the wrists suddenly went slack, dropping him to his knees with a thud. His hands landed on the ground a moment later, still locked together.

In all, it was a moment of relative peace and relief.

"Ah, poor little kitty is worn out," the female's voice was a cooing that could have been sympathetic, but wasn't.

He felt her left his face to look at hers through tear-filled eyes.

"If you get me off as well as you did him, I'll hit you hard enough you'll go down quick," she offered, watching him.

"Screw yourself," Jake snarled and tried to lunge for her, only to find that the chains holding him were secure again, locking him on his hands and knees.

"If you're not careful, _you'll_ be finding out just how possible it is," she smirked. "Be a shame, and we'd have to wait a bit, but you'd make such a pretty little toy."

"Hay babe, hand me one of those crops," the male still tied to him grinned at her. "I have this great expanse of back to mark up."

"Want it spiced?" she rurred and stood to select one.

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "I know how much you like having these guys screaming into your cunt!"

"You're so sweet," she grinned and poured a bit of the oil onto the crop, then dusted it with powdered salt so it would go flying onto them so easily.

"And kitty, you _do_ want to make her feel good. "the big male advised with a warning tone as she came over. "The better she feels, the less she'll hurt you."

"True," she granted as she returned and handed the crop to him before turning her attention to securing a leather collar tightly around Jake's neck despite his weak struggles. "I am more gentle when it feels good," she admitted before getting a leather strap around Jake's upper jaw. . She pulled on the end that hooked to the collar and forced his muzzle up until his nose was pointing to the ceiling. "Lick, kitten," she ordered as she stood above his muzzle.

He still refused, then the male, still tied to his ass, slashed the crop across his back, right above one of his other cuts.

Jake couldn't hold back the cries anymore, and after the next last he began to lick. The gooey female juices that smelled so strongly of Wolf he nearly gagged began to coat his muzzle. Even when the lash got him to focus on her clit, he knew he couldn't please her enough to end this quickly.

He really didn't know enough of how, and she wasn't as easy as a male, where just being a tight hole was good enough.

It seemed the only thing that got to her was when he out or whimpered in pain, but that _really_ got to her.

"Mmm, yes, whip him harder," she crooned, leaning forward to kiss the male after he lashed Jake's back again. "He's no good with his tounge."

"With pleasure," he rumbled, snapping it across the small of Jake's back, re-opening a wound that had begun to close up.

"Ohh, yes," she moaned above Jake, her legs trembling slightly.

Between her scent, her juices, the tight collar and having his head stretched so far back, Jake could feel the asphyxiation creeping up on him, and for once, he didn't fight it. The last thing he felt as blackness claimed him, and his poor abused cock strained against the ring around it, was a flood of the she-Wolf's juices washing over his muzzle. 

* * *

The smell of food, good food, eventually dragged Jake far enough into consciousness to groan at the aching and pain enveloping his entire body. He no longer had a clue how long he'd been here, other than long enough to be desperately hungry.

Every time before when he'd shown some sign of consciousness, he'd been dragged out to be beaten, whipped and raped. Mostly raped for the cameras. They only brought him to this small cell when he passed out for whatever reason.

He focused and struggled to make his arms lift him just a bit, just enough off the bare, dirty cement floor to see what his nose was telling him was there.

Meat. Cheese. Cooked and warm.

It was only a couple feet away, within reach of his chained hands if he could muster the will to reach it.

He just had to ... had to crawl over and reach it.

His abused muscles screamed at him to be still, to heal. Everything else screamed at him to get that food.

It wasn't long before hunger won out and his shaky, painful muscles obeyed the order to move, to crawl over to the simple cheeseburger on a paper plate.

He consumed it as quickly as he could, barely tasting it, sure it would be taken away if anyone found it.

No one fed prisoners good quality meat. No one did.

It was already gone when his fuzzy and confused brain realized that there was one time when you fed a starving prisoner good food.

It was when you put something in it to make them more cooperative.

He could already feel whatever was in it starting to kick his body into gear. The pain became a fuzzier, more distant sensation, and energy was starting to flood through him, like he'd had about a week of solid rest. Whatever was in it was putting his body into high gear, pumping him up. It would have been just the sort of rush he'd need when they came for him next, except for the third thing he was feeling. Whatever they'd put in there was making him _keenly_ aware of his seriously abused cock and balls, his shaft straining against something to try and escape his sheath.

"Damn you," he muttered under his breath even as he used the energy and ability to move. The chains didn't give him much freedom, but he didn't have much of a cell to move in. Solid cement walls closed in a six by six box, the only break being a heavy steel door with a small barred window that was covered by what felt like one-way glass that he couldn't break.

He heard the door down the hall open and close; they were probably coming for him now. He was sure there was at least one camera in here, though he couldn't find it. They recorded everything in here, and it was just good sense to keep an eye on prisoners.

With a deep breath to try and focus, he made short work of getting himself out of his chains and slipped to the side of the door where it slid into the wall, ready to attack and try to escape when it opened.

He heard them throw the latch, and the door slid open. He was distracted for a moment by a potent scent, but he bolted out the door as soon as he saw his path was clear. He heard somebody give a cry, but he only made it a few steps before a brick wall of a Wolf stopped him, shoving him back into his cell. The door was slammed shut before he'd recovered his balance to try again.

But this time, he wasn't alone in the already-cramped cell... and that smell was getting even stronger.

"P-please, don't hurt me," a young black-on-red tabby shekat whimpered, pressing back into the corner of his cell. Her arms were tied behind her, her ankles bound together, and she was as naked as he was. Even in the dim light provided by a bare bulb in the ceiling, he could see just how wet her sex was, and his cock told him why more than his nose.

"Damn bastards," Jake flattened his ears as it sunk in that the drugs they'd given him would make the difficult task of keeping his hands off this shekat in full heat one that bordered on impossible.

Not completely impossible, he knew deep down, but he honestly didn't know if he could.

"I won't," he managed to tell her and moved to sit in the opposite corner. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to keep his mind focused on something other than what her body was doing to him.

"M-my name's Kirstie," she told him, curling up in the corner. "They didn't tell me why they took me... who are you?"

"Jake," he answered, the tremors in his body that he could feel weren't visible to her yet, though his painful-looking erection was obvious. "I wouldn't be surprised if why is to help break me."

"Why would they want that?" She asked him, tucking her tail up between her legs, almost defensively. If he wanted to take her, she wouldn't be able to so much as try protecting herself like she was, and she knew it.

He knew it too. He knew, for that matter, that even free she probably didn't have a chance against him.

"Because they believe I have information they want," he shrugged, only to have his shoulders remind him, if dimly, they they'd been abused as badly as the rest of him. "Even pumped me full of drugs to help out."

"Why don't you just tell them what they want to hear?" She asked him, biting her lip. She was probably having as hard a time as he was not responding to her instincts. She could easily be as jacked up as he was for that matter.

Jake stared at her, having a hard time believing she even suggested it. It took some effort to remind himself that just because _he'd_ spent most of his teen and adult life with secrets people would kill for, most folks didn't.

"Because they're the enemy," he said simply. "They want security codes."

"Won't they have changed them already?" She whimpered. "You wouldn't have to give them the right ones anyways, they wouldn't know any better until it was too late!"

"For what?" he looked at her. "It's not like they'll let me go even if I do talk."

"They might let _me_ go though!" She whimpered. "I don't want to be part of this!"

Jake looked at her, almost pitying her.

"I'm sorry, but your life is not worth MegaKat City's safety any more than mine is," he said with deadly determination.

"You wouldn't have to give them the _real_ information," she said again, curling up even more tightly. 

"No," he repeated, firmly enough he hoped she wouldn't continue. Her attitude was starting to get on his last nerve.

"C-could you untie my arms, please?" She asked him, working against the bonds herself. "I'd like to have my hands loose."

Despite an inkling in the back of his foggy brain that it might not be the best idea, Jake nodded and curled up to his feet. When he knelt behind her, he knew what that inkling was.

"Oh damn," he drew in a deep breath threw his mouth, only to find that it didn't make a difference.

Her body was so warm, so aroused ... she needed it as badly as he did. He didn't even realize his fingers had slid to her sex until she moaned and begged him to stop.

With the fingers of one hand slick with her fluids, his body trembling with need, he managed to untie her completely.

Her willpower turned out to be a bit stronger than his - or at least her libido was less pronounced. She bolted as soon as her ankles were untied, trying to get away from him. It wasn't as if she had far she could go, but any distance was a relief for both of them.

Jake remained kneeling in the corner, facing away from her.

"Know ... I doubt I can hold back ... much longer," his voice was as strained as his will to resist her scent.

"Please," she begged him, curling up as tightly as she could, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I didn't _do_ anything to deserve this! I don't _want_ any of this!"

"Do you think _I_ did?" he snarled at her, his ears flat and anger very real. "I'm just a cadet!"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I-I just... I'm not even military! I was just here with my girlfriend, our plane had a layover."

"Shouldn't be in public in that state," he mumbled, his anger cooling only to let the arousal flair hot and prominent in his mind again. He didn't even realize he'd made it half way across the small space towards her.

"I didn't know!" She cried out, trying to move to the side so she could dart past him, her eyes watching him warily in the dim light.

Jake began to pant, trying to think of anything but what was at the forefront of his mind. With a low whine he reached down to stroke himself, trying to relive some of the preasure.

She found the other corner, the one he'd just been in, and pressed herself back against the wall. As he started to stroke his tied cock, her hand strayed down to her breasts, the other towards her clit, entirely unconscious of what she was doing.

It wasn't until she moaned and he looked up to her spread legs and pleasure-drenched face that Jake knew he was in terrible trouble, that he wasn't going to be able to hold back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sick to his stomach with the little bit of him that wasn't in the throws of the mating drive. The rest of him only felt the desire to sink into her, thrust until he came and do it more.

"W-NO!" She screamed, looking up to see him rushing for her. He was on top of her in a moment, and while she was trying to push him off of her, his cock sank into her hungry sex despite her efforts.

He wasn't really listening anymore as he brought her flat to her back and pinned her wrists. He began to fuck her roughly, his only focus on getting himself off inside her slick, hot, hungry body.

He barely noticed when she finally stopped struggling and got quiet, letting him fuck her and crying quietly as he filled her pussy time and again, forcing her into one orgasm after another until the drugs in his body finally burned off and he sank down in exhaustion on top of her, his cock still hard and deep inside her. 

* * *

Jake woke up, slowly, to the smell of another cheeseburger. He also noticed that Kirstie wasn't beneath him any more... not that he could blame her, really. She was still in the room, unfortunately, and still very much in heat.

"You eaten?" he asked weakly, feeling every bit as terrible as he looked and sounded. He'd be in the hospital and detox for weeks after he got out at this rate.

"Had to," Kirstie whimpered. "Nothing to eat since they took me."

"They're not much on feeding prisoners," he murmured and forced abused muscles to shift him upright into a sitting position half leaning against the wall. "Even less on doing it with undrugged food," he added as he took the cheeseburger and quickly consumed it. "Don't be too surprised if it amps me up again," he said with a clear apology. "Between the painkillers, speed and blue heat I'm fairly sure are in it, I don't have much self-control afterwards."

"I-I understand," she nodded. "I won't fight you this time," she murmured, lowering her eyes. "Didn't help much last night."

"Like you said, you aren't military," he said softly, closing his eyes and hoping he could get back to sleep before things got out of control again. "It would take a fair amount of training for you to stop me. I am sorry," he managed as he leaned back against the corner and felt himself drift off a little.

He wasn't sure how long it had been before he felt someone touching him through his sleep and launched at the offending contact, his eyes not even fully open before he had the individual pinned.

It was his cock that gave him the first real hint on who it was, and he stilled until he managed to blink the sleep out of his eyes to see Kirstie under him, her eyes wide in terror at his violent movement and being pinned again, but true to her word she didn't fight back.

"Ah crud," he hissed and let her go, forcing himself to get up with difficulty that wasn't entirely his sore body. "Sorry. Reflex," he said as he stumbled back to his corner.

She swallowed, nodded and crawled over to him with only a bit less fear. "I-I was just trying to clean up your injuries a bit."

Jake blinked at her, honestly surprised. "Why?"

"We're stuck together, I'm probably going to have your kittens ... and ... well, you're probably my best bet on getting out of here."

"Probably," he agreed reluctantly. "Thank you."

"Let me know if I hurt you," she said, starting to clean him up again. "They really worked you over."

"Probably had me two or three days before they tossed you in here," he said quietly, wondering where the water and washcloth had come from. "And yeah. I was either unconscious or being questioned."

"This probably won't do much to help you, I'm afraid... I had to flirt with the guard a bit, I just hope he doesn't try to take me up on it," she shuddered. "Tell me when things are kicking in, okay? I just... want a little warning."

"They already have," he said, trying not to wince as she cleaned the worst of the gashes in his hide. She was causing a minuscule amount of discomfort compared having them inflicted. "I'm controlling it for now."

"Do you need this to do that?" Kirstie asked, reaching down to touch the leather strip tied tightly around his balls and sheath gingerly. "It really isn't healthy to keep it on so long."

"Uh?" he glanced down, noticing it for the first time. "No," he murmured and reached down, cutting it off with a claw. The sudden rush of blood was enough to draw a gasp, then a whimpering cry as he closed both hands over his groin and curled up as sensation kicked in fully. He focused on breathing and controlling the pain until it subsided, oblivious to anything else.

"You're ... into pain?" she asked hesitantly.

"No," Jake struggled to sit back up. "That's the blue heat's effects. No other way I could stay hard this long."

"I'd hope not," she murmured. "Let me look, make sure nothings been damaged, okay?" She asked, putting a hand on his knee gently.

"Okay," he closed his eyes, not really hearing what she'd said. She murmured something else as her hand closed around his cock, which did manage to focus him again.

"Maybe it would help if...." her voice drifted off and she gently closed her hand around his cock. "Might take the edge off?" she murmured, though it was hard to miss the heat-induced hunger in her voice, as she began to stroke him, earning a groan of pleasure and pain as his body stiffened.

"It won't," he warned her, but made no effort to stop her either. It felt too good to have a little pleasure without pain and humiliation to want it to end.

Despite his words, she continued, her skill minimal but effective given his state. When his head lolled back a bit, she nipped the crook of his neck, then his scruff the way a male would do to a female, and tried not to smile when he moaned a little deeper.

With a deepening moaning whine Jake shuddered and began to thrust into her hand, willfully oblivious to anything but the hand around his cock and the pleasure of nearing orgasm in the presence of a female in heat.

She shifted from behind him, down onto her knees to take his cock into her hot, warm mouth. With a startled sound and a cry of pleasure, he thrust awkwardly into her mouth and came almost as quickly. 

He remained upright as the orgasm kept his body taunt, only to sink to the cement floor, panting and moaning, when it released him.

She licked him clean, then slid up along his body.

"You still want more?" She asked him, licking her lips nervously.

"Asking me, or my body?" he asked with a bit of a mumble. Even as he spoke, his hands moved along her slides, and on the way up, he pulled her head down into a kiss that was hard, hungry, and tasted as much of blood and pain as each other.

"Both," she murmured when their lips parted. "I can feel your body does... and if you don't _want_ to fight it, you don't have to," she told him, kissing him again more tenderly.

"Don't really want to fight it," he admitted, his hands coming around to fondle her breasts.

"Then don't... it's okay," she whispered and settled into straddling his waist, rubbing her juices along his cock. "My body doesn't want you to either... and I'm starting to come around to its way of thinking about things."

Jake nodded weakly and slid a hand between them to spread the swollen lips of her sex and ease himself into the welcoming body above him.

"Maybe a little slower this time," he murmured as they both moaned from the pleasure and he privately cursed the drugs that were driving him to do even more damage to his already abused body.

"Mmm ... please," she whimpered softly, fondling her own breasts as she started to move up and down his cock. "Want me to do the work?"

"While you can," he nodded, grateful for any little respite for his body.

She nodded back, squeezing down around his cock as she fucked him, rolling her hips to get his barbed shaft into just the right place to work them both to an orgasm. 

* * *

Jake's ears snapped around at the sound of the door sliding open, but before he could make his battered and spent body do more than start to sit up, he was grabbed by large, powerful hands and hauled upright, then off his feet.

"Stop it!" Kirstie shouted, lunging at the Wolf who was holding Jake, only to be slammed forcefully back against the wall by his partner.

"Don't bother," Jake told her. He knew _he_ didn't have a chance against this guy in his current state, never mind the half dozen that would be outside hoping he would try something.

"Good advice," the Wolf rumbled. "You should take it yourself." He hauled Jake out of the room, as one of the others wheeled a small TV into the room and closed the door. "Now your girlfriend'll be able to watch the fun," he grinned, carrying Jake out by the scruff.

Jake just snorted. Privately he doubted she'd have the stomach to watch more than the first few minutes. Either way, it wasn't going to change how he acted, though at the rate he was losing blood, it wouldn't matter in a few more days. Just being hauled to the large interrogation room by the scruff had reopened most of the wounds on his back.

"I know what you're thinking, kitty. You're not getting off that easy," the Wolf promised him, chucking him into the interrogation room. "Your partner'd never forgive us."

"Hu?" Jake looked over his shoulder at the Wolf, completely at a loss as to what the hell he was talking about.

"Nothing," the other Wolf with him shrugged, both of them stripping down. "So, are you going to give us the codes? Or are we going to have fun again? We'll let you _and_ your girlfriend go if you play nice."

Jake couldn't deny it was tempting, he knew he could probably minimize the damage _if_ they kept their word.

That was the thing though, he doubted they'd keep their word, and these two didn't have the rank to cut that kind of deal themselves.

Instead, he got to his feet, watching the pair warily as he tried to gauge the best way to inflict enough damage to make what they were about to do to him worth it.

"You _sure_ you want a rematch, kitty?" The smaller of the two males growled lowly. "My stitches healed - you don't even have 'em."

"Relax - he'll cave the same way his partner did," the bigger one grinned at the way Jake visibly bristled at the comment. "Bet he won't be as good a show though."

"Probably not," Jake agreed with a low growl, watching for any help they might get out of the corners of his eyes while he focused on the pair, waiting for them to come close enough that his agility, even now, was going to be an asset.

"Think he'll beg like he did?" The smaller one chuckled.

"Nah, but once we get him barking, who'll care?" The bigger winked, the two of them moving to opposite sides of Jake.

Despite the taunting, Jake waited, circling with them as he edged closer to the larger one, knowing he was the slower of the pair. When the small one moved in, Jake waited for the last second and dove between the Wolf's powerful legs, ripping into the muscle and large blood vessels there before the large one got to him and jammed a stun gun into Jake's back.

Even as the Jake screamed in pain and loss of control, so did the smaller Wolf until their jerking bodies randomly separated.

"Damn fucking Kat!" the smaller one howled as he pressed hard on the inside of his leg to stop the arterial flow of blood. "Where the hell did he learn to fight like that?"

"Nowhere," a mature female voice told them as Jake gasped for breath and tried to move, only to get zapped again. "It's what makes him special," she knelt to inspect him. "You know, Clawson, we aren't asking for that much. How can it be worth your life? You're too young to even know what life is all about."

"Like hell," Jake managed to hiss at the shewolf clearly old enough to be the grandmother of the other two, and quite possibly their great-grandmother. It took him a bit longer to make his eyes focus enough to pick out the Lieutenant General insignia on her upright neck.

The realization sent a chill down his spine. Who the hell was he that he rated _that_ kind of rank?

"You're barely a kitten yourself, and you have a litter on the way now," she persisted gently. "You could have a good life in one of Lothos' territories where felines are common. We do pay well for information we want."

"You must be getting desperate," Jake spit at her, the splatter of blood marring her perfect gray uniform.

"We broke the tabby, we'll break you," she promised him before standing. "We have time. If you won't break, maybe your girl will... or your kittens. Wouldn't that be a world to bring them into?"

"They don't have anything useful to tell you," he pointed out evenly, only to get jammed with another shock from the stun gun. "And I won't tell you anything useful," he added with a ragged snarl as much towards the big Wolf tormenting him as the Lieutenant General.

"That's what your partner said too," the Lieutenant General grinned. "Or didn't you realize why he hadn't been around for a few days?"

"You're going to a lot of trouble for some codes," he pointed out instead.

"You know the codes we're after," she countered. "Besides; we've got more of a long-term relationship in mind, if you're useful to us."

"I won't," he promised with deadly determination and launched at her in a move that surprised even the big Wolf who'd been keeping him down with the stun gun.

It didn't surprise the Lieutenant General though, and she proved why she had her rank in slamming him to the ground with a single smashing blow to the shoulder blades.

"I'll give you that much, Clawson, you are as stubborn and violent as we were warned you'd be," her tone held a hint of grudging respect. "We've broken Ferals, we'll break you. Who do you think you're protecting, Kitten? Your partner? He already betrayed you - how do you think we got into your apartment?"

Jake laughed, softly at first, then louder as the Wolves exchanged uncertain, then uneasy glances.

"If you're trying to flatter me into cooperating, it won't work either," he continued to laugh, the sound growing more hysterical by the minute.

She picked him up, setting him on his feet. "You think we're flattering you? Far from it. We had to go further to break him than we have with you... so far. Maybe you'd like to see what pushed him over the edge? It's coming up for you," she pointed out, as the big male turned on a view-screen.

With Chance's pained face front and center.

Jake glanced away, more on reflex than anything else, only to have her force his face to the screen.

"You are going to watch, and know what's coming next," she promised him, relaxing her grip on his lower jaw slightly when he didn't seem to be trying to look away any more.

As he watched, the camera backed out to show Chance being fucked by a large, four-legged, very male, Great Dane. The tabby was fighting not to say anything, but the dog's knot was getting bigger with every thrust.

"Give us the access codes," a female voice Jake didn't recognize demanded off screen, just before Chance screamed as the nearly-full knot popped into his ass, and _barely_ fit on its way back out, leaving blood on the huge dog's knot.

Jake knew he was being watched for his reaction, and tried very hard not to react, but he was sure the odd mixture of sick fascination and heart wrenching pain he felt showed at least a little.

His gut twisted when he heard Chance start grunting out the security codes to his room, giving them the code just in time to have the dog pulled off him before he could tie. The tabby curled up, sobbing on-camera as the dog came all over his body.

"Maybe we didn't _need_ the codes to get into your house, but it was a lot more fun than the old-fashioned way," the male rumbled lowly.

"Where is he?" Jake asked softly.

"Right now? Considering whether he's going to be in our test piloting program or starting over somewhere he won't have to worry about meeting you afterwards." The Lieutenant General told him. "He's broken up about it, but... well, he knows we're willing to help now."

"You're lying," Jake said with the force of honestly believing his words. "You may have broken him, but he's no traitor."

"You just _saw_ him give us the codes," she pointed out. "Do you really think he'd go back after that, when he knows he'd be the first person questioned about your disappearance?"

"Yes," Jake glared at her until the big Wolf jammed him with the stun gun again when he shifted just a little too much into an attack posture. "Will you cut that out!" he snarled at the big Wolf as he hauled himself upright and glared at the male. "It's not doing you any good."

"Then stop giving me a reason to," he pointed out bluntly.

"Furlong may not be going back to MegaKat City, but it ultimately doesn't matter. You're still not helping him in the least... not that he deserves your help. He's safe here, until he decides to leave. Anything you tell us won't affect him at all... though it _could_ get you a chance to take it up with him in person."

"No," Jake glared at her, all but daring her to try and find something that would break him.

"Suit yourself," the shewolf said and nodded to the big male, who promptly grabbed Jake and found the kat's jaws locked onto his forearm for it. A solid strike to the side of the kat's head loosened his grip and send Jake sprawling to the floor. It stunned him long enough to be bound tightly with his hands over his head and his feet spread apart on the floor, and only barely touching the ground.

Jake continued to glare at the Lieutenant General, not the least bit impressed by the preparations or anything else he had seen.

She gave him a glancing look and nodded, turning to the door to open it.

Jake knew she said something, but the simple outline of who was on the other side of the door froze any ability he had to think. As the blood drained from his face, Jake began to tremble, unconsciously trying to shift away from the woman who walked in despite the way he was bound.

"Well now," the woman's accent was heavy, and chilled Jake to his very soul in a way he didn't think was possible. She caught his lower jaw, forcing him to look at her slender, angular feature and sandy fur that blended into her formal burgundy and wine red uniform. She shifted his face this way and that, looking for something, then laughed in delight.

"No wonder you haven't made a dent on his will," the regal Caracal female looked at the much taller and larger shewolf. "This one belonged to a cousin of mine."

"You know him?" the Lieutenant General raised an eyebrow.

"Not personally," she admitted. "But he bears her mark," the Caracal turned Jake's compliant head to show a spot just below his jaw, over the jugular.

"I don't see it," the Wolf grumbled, even as she took in the absolutely submissive, compliant and utterly terrified way Jake was now acting.

"It is there, if you know what to look for," the Caracal said before letting his head go. "My name is Xialia."

Jake briefly raised his eyes to look at her, memorize her, before they went down again. "Yes, Mistress."

"Well trained too," Xialia mused. "You will tell me the access codes to RD1."

Jake shuddered, cringing away from her as best he could. "N-no, Mistress," he managed to make himself say.

"No?" Xialia repeated in complete shock. "No? You would dare tell me no?"

Jake couldn't make himself look at her. He was shaking so hard that it was easy to miss that he'd wet himself slightly, the urine tricking down his leg. His tail tucked tightly between his legs in submission and a vain attempt to protect himself.

"Won't tell," he eventually managed to stammer out after she slapped him hard across the face. "Not traitor."

"I'm not a traitor," he said a little more forcefully, though it was nothing like the fire he had before.

"Wow," the big Wolf murmured, quite possibly to himself. "That afraid, and still refusing?"

"They exist," the Lieutenant General said just as quietly as she watched the Traverian officer gracefully walk around their prisoner, her hands light against his skin, but still gaining more reaction than any Wolf had managed. "They usually end up dead."

"Yes, they do," Xialia agreed, her touch sensual as it crossed his chest and up to his chin, moving his face to look at her again. "We will begin with something simple. I do loath to use my tools on the pet of kinfolk without permission. Untie him."

Reluctantly, the male Wolf did as he was ordered, letting Jake drop to his knees, where he trembled uncontrollably and made no attempt to move.

"Let us begin by finding out just how much of a male he is," she purred, smiling as an assistant brought in a leashed panther, the beast padding forward obediently, sniffing the air.

Jake gave a slight glance up and shuddered, sure of what was coming even as it confused him. This wasn't anything like how they'd tried to break his will in Traveris.

"I will remind you now that you can end this at any moment by giving us the access codes," the Lieutenant General said patiently and took a seat near the edge of the room to watch. "As you saw with your partner, we are good to our word."

Jake almost retorted, but the presence of the Traverian noble kept him silent.

"Have you ever been taken by a big cat, pet?" Xialia asked evenly as the panther sniffed at the base of his tail, surely smelling the shekat in heat he'd been with.

"No," Jake managed to keep his trembling under control.

"Well then," she said with an amused smiled as his tail was moved out of the way and the panther allowed to sniff at him unimpaired. "They are not very well endowed. But they more than make up for the lack of stretching pain for what their barb hairs do on the way out," she explained as the panther climbed on top of Jake's hunched form and grabbed his scruff.

"Now, he won't cause reparable damage, even untreated, but if they fed you any better here the infection in your bloodstream from reliving yourself would," Xialia continued evenly, watching in ill-concealed distaste as the panther shifted his hips and began to rapidly fuck the tom under him. It was only the pain-filled, mewing cries that eased her mood.

"Eay, eay," Jake begged, almost oblivious to the sounds he was making, or that he'd dropped into the bit of her language that he knew.

"For the codes," Xialia reminded him, her arousal becoming evident in her scent as the panther came in his ass, then pulled out to a scream from the tom.

"Eay, please," he begged, trembling as the great cat rested briefly, then grabbed his scruff again. "No," he cried out, stiffening as the short penis of the cat poked into him again.

"When you tell us something useful," Xialia repeated, offering him a better chance at a reprieve than the Wolves had.

Jake looked up at her, tears flowing freely as he tried to make his brain work, to come up with something he could give her. By the time the panther had come the second time, he'd dropped his face down and closed his eyes, willing himself to take this as he'd taken the rest.

The big cat was taken off him after a third time it ripped into the tender flesh of his anus by pulled the stiff barbs out, giving him a small moment of relief.

"Stand up," Xialia ordered. When he didn't obey fast enough, a sharp kick to the lower ribs sent him sprawling, rolling to a stop several feet away where he struggled up before she closed the distance to strike him again. "Do you want me to call Viel out here?" she demanded, her hand on his lower jaw to force him to look at her anger. "I'm sure she will appreciate the opportunity to punish you for running away."

"Eay, Sunai," he tried to shake his head as his legs lost all strength. "Please, no. Anything...."

"You know what I want," she tightened her grip on his jaw as the hope drained from his face. She dropped her grip, letting him sink to the floor and turned to the Lieutenant General. "This will not be quick," she said grimly. "He values his secrets more than his life or his freedom. Do not expect progress soon, though it will come."

"If you decide to call your cousin in, consult with me first," the shewolf decided after a moment. "I'll have guards outside if you need anything."

"I will," Xialia promised. "I would take him to my quarters to work on him further," she suggested. "The other animals are there, as are my tools."

"Are you willing to give my people time to prepare the cameras?" She asked the Caracal.

"Yes," she decided after a brief moment. "How long will that take?"

"For all your rooms? Half an hour. Fifteen before you can use your main chamber," the Lieutenant General told her.

"Then please set the cameras up," the Caracal nodded. "It will be well worth it to work him over in a more intimate environment. Your males can have what fun they wish until my quarters are ready."

"Let's go get something to drink while we wait, then," the shewolf chuckled, heading out and leaving the males grinning at the prospect of getting Jake to themselves again.

"Well now," one of the males rumbled eagerly once the door closed behind the two ranking females. "Stand up and come here."

Jake stood, with some difficulty as he put his brain back in order. He was two steps towards the Wolf when things clicked and he moved a little more freely.

"Cardic!" one of the other suddenly shouted, causing the third Wolf to drive his fists down across Jake's shoulders, sending him stumbling to his knees.

"What the hell was that about?" the one who'd given the order growled.

"He's snapped out of whatever trance that shekat put him in," the one who had shouted said. "He'd have bitten you clean off."

"We'll just have to make sure he doesn't get the chance to do that - Cardic, hold him down while I get the ring gag."

"Yes, sir," the muscular gray Wolf tackled the much smaller Kat and pinned him by basically sitting on him; using his significantly greater mass to stop the tom from doing much more than squirming.

The smaller male walked over, selecting a strong leather gag with a brass ring on the middle.

"Open wide, Kitten," he grinned, getting down on his knees to wedging it in place against Jake's best efforts. "There, now we can all have fun at once if we feel like it," he added at the tom looked up at him with fearless hatred.

"I swear he must like this," one of them said, shaking his head.

"As long as he doesn't _say_ so," Cardic grinned and shifted and pulled Jake up by the hips before slamming his hard cock into Jake's abused ass all the way past the slightly swollen knot.

"True," the one who place the ring-gag in grinned as Jake screamed in pain, only to grab the Kat's head and shoved his cock into Jake's mouth.

"Don't stretch him out _too_ much, Cardic," the other grinned, stroking his cock to keep it hard as he watched the show, the two Wolves pounding Jake at either end.

"Not my fault if you're small," the big Wolf teased him. "Does our kitty like it yet?"

"It sure looks like it," the one watching rumbled. "Wonder what Kat tastes like," he mused, then shifted to kneel under Jake and began to suck on him, drawing a ragged, choked groan from above him.

"I wonder if we can have him in the barracks for a few days," the one at his mouth suggested. "Set him up so anybody can use him whoever they feel like it."

"Sounds like a blast, if that bitch's horse doesn't ruin him," the one in his mouth groaned, a sound matched by Cardic as the tom reacted to the idea of being fucked by a horse. "He's got a damn good tongue, even when he doesn't like it.

"It can't ruin both ends," Cardic pointed out, thrusting faster and forcing his growing knot in and out with each thrust as Jake tried to scream, only to encourage the one fucking his mouth.

The Wolf under him began to hum, working Jake's cock with a fair amount of skill until the Kat stiffened and tried to thrust down as he spilled his seed into the Wolf's mouth and milked both other Wolves with his body.

"Oh yeah, this'll be _fun_ ," the Wolf under him grinned and got up. "My turn." 

* * *

Jake was only partially conscious when he was finally dragged through the halls of the Lothosin base to the large suite of rooms adjacent to a small stable where Xialia was staying with her assistant and animals.

"Put him on the rug," the Caracal's imperial voice commanded and was immediately obeyed. "You may leave now," she said once he was on the relatively soft surface.

Jake didn't move, he just waited where he was, ready for a beating like nothing the Wolves had tried.

Instead, he felt confident, delicate hands move over his abused frame. "Tasila, put together a simple, bland meal. I doubt he's eaten since he arrived," Xialia said in her native tongue.

"Yes, ma'am," the reply came in the same, triggering parts of Jake's mind that normally lay dormant and forgotten.

"Stand," Xialia said firmly in Katian, though her tone was almost surprisingly even. It remained even as he obeyed her and struggled upright, then to his feet. "To the bathroom."

Without so much as looking, Jake complied, catching the direction out of the corner of his eye.

"Shower," she continued, when it became apparent that he was going to need supervision for a while if she wanted him to do more than stand. "I want you clean."

"Yes, Mistress," Jake responded in heavily accented Tranveran and turned the water hot, nearly to as hot as it would go.

He stepped under it after testing the temperature and groaned deeply as blood, sweat, pain, fear and the seed and sex of a dozen Wolves was finally washed from his fur by the searingly hot rain.

"How long did my cousin have you?" Xialia asked in Katian when he began to relax and the water flowing from him was clear.

"T-two weeks, I think, Mistress," he answered, his tone uncertain as he continued to stand in the hot rain of the shower, relishing the heat and wet and being clean.

"You took to the training well, then," she said with real surprise. "Like one meant for the life, not the life you have now. You say the word, you keep your secrets and I'll take you away from all this."

"M-mistress," he shuddered, struggling to speak before he fell silent. "Home is my city," he finally managed.

"You know what I'm going to do to you here," she told him, earning a shiver of dread. "I'm good at breaking foreigners for their uses. I will break you for them in time. You're a pretty tom. I'd rather not hurt you. I'd much rather take you home and enjoy what your body can offer me in bed."

"You're Traverin," Jake pointed out, stealing a glance at her even as his will to resist her offer weakened in the hot water. "Pain is all your kind does."

"It is something of a national hobby among nobles," she admitted. "And it is how I developed my skills, but my time outside my homeland has given me an appreciation for other things," she said as she turned down the heat and stepped into the shower behind him. She put her hands on his shoulders, feeling the tension there, and ran them down his back carefully, aware of the many open wounds he had. "Things like pleasure without inflicting pain or humiliation on the tom."

"Y-yes, Mistress," he mumbled, really not sure what to make of this, other than its too-high probability of it gaining his agreement. He didn't betray his oaths and he got away from the Wolves. Her touch was gentle, even when she moved to his ass to help clean out all the seed that had been pumped into him.

It was enough to make what had gone in the other way try to come up, and he struggled not to retch.

"Go ahead," Xialia's voice behind him was even, and was the end to any attempt to hold back.

Jake dropped to his knees as his abdomen heaved inwards, tightening and rolling to force as much of the Wolf and feline seed from his body as possible, sending it splashing to the shower floor to be washed down the drain.

When the retching stopped, he shifted to tip his face upwards, opening his mouth to try and wash the taste away.

Xialia seemed to wait patiently until he stood again, abet shakily, then ran her fingers down his back again. Soon she stepped back to lean against the far side of the huge shower. "Use the shampoo and clear yourself up," she ordered, smiling slightly when he complied without hesitation, and relaxed to watch him wash days worth of torment out of his fur. 

* * *

He felt better than he had since being captured, but knew the moment his mind kicked in that he was in a world of trouble.

"Please my daughter with your tongue, and myself with your cock, and you will get a good breakfast," Xialia's voice carried the tone of an order.

"Yes, Mistress," he said softly and rolled to his back so he could pleasure both females as ordered. It wasn't easy to become aroused on command like this, but with the younger female sitting on his face, his tongue working over her sex, it didn't take Xialia's fingers long to arouse his cock enough to slid it into her body.

He moaned into the daughter's sex, knowing it would please them, and let his body remember what he'd been taught all those years ago in Traveris. Mostly it was a matter of letting her do what she wanted, which was the easy part. Pleasing the one above his face was much harder. He only had the most passing of ideas what to do, all of it gleaned from a handful of porn vids and the shewolf that had forced him to lick at her days before.

"She may have trained him well, but she wasn't much on his mouth," the daughter grumbled with a moan in their native tongue.

"Then instruct him," Xialia told her with a bit of a snip in her voice. "You can't expect him to learn without instruction."

"Work my clit," she shifted slightly, putting her body a bit further back so the nub of hard flesh she wanted him to pay attention to was closer to his mouth. "Oh, yeah," she moaned, her tail lashing and whacking his ears as he pleasured her.

It was only moments before Xialia yowled, her body tightening in pleasure. This was one of the few times in his life where Jake was grateful that he was too sore to care about coming. She'd beat him within an inch of his life if he came without permission, and he knew it.

He was more than a bit surprised when she pulled herself off his cock, leaving it slick in the cool air of the room. It was even more of a surprise when she fondled his balls gently and played with his sheath to keep him hard until he finally got the shekat above his face off.

"Come," Xialia ordered as her daughter moved away, and Jake followed her obediently without question or complaint that he was hard as a rock and unlikely to find release anytime soon. 

They came to a halt in the immaculately clean stables that housed three horses of the fine-boned breeding native to Traveris. Three slender, long-furred sight-hounds, a female mastiff and a male rottweiler all rushed to greet their mistress and were welcomed with open arms and affection he knew was more than she'd ever show a male Kat. When the big cats, the panther who'd mounted him before, a caracal and a huge black-maned lion, came up, the dogs quickly gave them right of way to their mistress.

"Now, pet," Xialia stood to size up the frightened, naked, aroused tom who was checking out the animals and trying to figure out what order he'd be given to them. "Is there even a point to ask you what the code is?"

Jake swallowed with difficulty. "N-no, Mistress," his gaze went to the floor and stayed there.

"Tiena, bring Zephyr out," Xialia sighed with a touch of annoyance.

"Yes, mother," she nodded and went to fetch one of the horses, a fiery dapple-gray stallion with a cock that nearly touched the floor.

"Zephyr will mount nearly anything, and for some reason he does enjoy males in particular," she paused, letting this, and the size of the cock on the horse, sink into his mind. "He'll open your ass like nothing these Kantin could do to you, including a fist."

"Please, no," Jake went completely pale, his eyes on that huge cock and the animal so eager to use it.

"You will say what they want to know, or you will be punished until you do," Xialia told him. "Give me something."

"No, Mistress," he murmured, his gaze down and tail tucked up between his legs.

"Very well," she said, clearly unhappy and motioned for the mastiff to come to her. "You will mate her."

"Wha?!" Jake choked and stepped back on one foot, shocked out of his submissive reflex by the order.

"You will get yourself hard again and mate with my dog," she repeated firmly, watching him as his will to resist her demand withered under her disapproving glare.

It was almost longer than she was willing to wait before he closed his eyes and began to stroke his sheath, his mind firmly on things far away from this place and what he was about to do. The first girl he'd kissed, the first time someone else had touched him like this, the intensity and pleasure of those moments years before.

He kept it up until his shaft was full and hard in his hand and his breath had quickened a bit. Only then did Jake open his eyes and work himself into the mind-numb state he knew he'd need to pull this off.

With an animal who's sex was as far up as his cock he kept on his feet as the mastiff presented her rear to him.

Jake swallowed, stroke himself a couple more times to keep it up in the face of fucking an animal, even one more than capable of taking him in.

"Pet!" Xialia snapped.

Jake whimpered low in his throat and pressed his cock into the dog, focusing on girls as he began to thrust. He kept his mind focused elsewhere enough that he yelped in surprise when a cold nose sniffed his ass.

"He's your other partner," the Caracal told him when he glanced back to see the rottweiler sniffing him. "Lean forward and raise your tail for him."

Jake drooped his ears in a silent plea even as he did what he was told. He knew it wouldn't be as bad, physically, as the Wolves, but as the dog who weighed more than he did jumped up to brace against his shoulders and force him down against the mastiff's back, Jake's stomach turned.

"Don't," Xiala told him simply, already knowing that he felt like throwing up again as the rottweiler on his back growled lowly, sinking its person-sized cock into his ass as he thrust into the bitch beneath him.

It didn't take the dog long to get into the fast, sharp thrusting rhythm of animals mating, something that made the mastiff under him quite happy.

It was all Jake could do to keep his reaction to tears as the dog against his back began to tie with him, the knot swelling far quicker than a Kantin's.

His own cock throbbed as the bitch beneath him woofed happily, her sex working his member as he was forced to fuck her. He didn't have a knot, but the barbs working her insides seemed to be making her just as satisfied. Her pussy clenched down around him, milking his cock as she came.

With a rush of sensations that made him very much want do die rather than finish the scene, the seed of the big canine against his back rushing into his body pushed him over the edge and he came inside the bitch, all the while wondering how it could possibly happen.

As he lay whimpering against the mastiff's back, the rottweiler pulled away, and pulled him right off her by the knot stuck in his ass.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Xiala chuckled, kneeling and scratching the Mastiff's ears affectionately as the rottweiler turned around, waiting for his knot to come down so he could move around freely again. "Of course, if you think it was... it's only going to get worse, if you don't cooperate with _one_ of us."

"Not gonna tell, Mistress," Jake whimpered with all the determination he had.

"It's only going to get harder on you," she warned him. "Have you ever seen real lions mate?"

"On TV," he murmured, stuck on all fours with his ass locked to the rottweiler. "Not much of a cock on them."

"Maybe not, but that's what the stallion is for," she pointed out. "After he's through with you, I'll expect you to tire out my cats."

Jake gave her a rather pathetic look, and resigned himself to being fucked, quite literally, unconscious. Between three big cats and the horse, and he suspected the rest of the dogs, the only break he'd get from them would be when the show got one of the Caracals wound up enough to want him to tend to their bodies.


	3. Lost Day: The Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite giving up information, Jake isn't any less defiant than he was two weeks before. Only now the Wolves know how to work him over.

Jake growled darkly when the door of Xialia's living room opened to admit four Wolves that looked as ready for trouble as he was ready to give them.

"Play nice, kitty, and you won't get hurt," the leader of the group, a large female, growled back even as Jake got up from where he was lounging on a mattress.

"So much for tamed," a male in the group sneered and fired a tazer at the tom while one of his companions distracted him.

"That's hardly a surprise," the female said dryly as she put on rubber gloves and shackled his hands and feet behind him. "Pick him up," she ordered after she pulled the tazer prongs out. "Time for him to go back in the cell."

"Pity - means we'll have to stop playing with his girlfriend," the male smirked, picking Jake up and tossing him over his shoulder.

"But you will get to play with him instead," she pointed out as the largest male picked him up by the chain linking his wrists to his ankles and they walked out of the room. "I'm sure he'll be much more entertaining."

"Might want to watch those jaws," one of the males piped out as Jake began to throw off the effects of the tazer. "He likes to bite in a big way."

"Lucky he didn't break his teeth on the gag last time we put it in - we'll just see if he's lucky again," the other grinned. "Besides, he's better with his tongue than the shekat was."

"Not as good as the tabby he used to fly with though," the female rumbled. "I miss having him to play with. That was a talented Kat with his tongue."

"Maybe for you," a male grumbled. "His ass wasn't bad, but his mouth was worthless."

"No you don't," the big male shifted Jake so he couldn't finish the bite he was trying for. "We giving his girl the key?"

"Hardly," the female snorted. "He can get out on his own, or he'll be easier to grab next time. He's been entirely too well feed. He's even clean. No more favors for him."

"What do you expect from a Traveran?" The big male pointed out.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want to take her over what we do," the smaller one said, sliding the door to Jake's cell open so he could be tossed in.

"I'm sure she'd get results, if the brass gave her the time she wanted," the female nodded as the door shut, leaving Jake in relative darkness with a familiar scent from a week before. Only now it didn't torment his body nearly so much as he focused his efforts on getting himself out of the hog-tied position he was in.

"J-Jake? Is that you?" Kirstie asked, crawling over to him.

"Yes," he said, though it came out as a definitely unhappy growl as he worked his bonds and got one foot free. "You're still here?"

"They just put me back a few hours ago; can I help?" She offered, as his nose started to fill him in on the last few days. She'd been fucked plenty of times, he could smell the Kantin-sex all over her.

"I don't think so," he admitted as he worked a hand loose. "Just give me a few minutes."

"All right," she nodded as he got the rest of his limbs free. "Do you need to be patched up?"

"Not really," he admitted, keenly aware of how well fed and clean he was compared to her now. "For now, I'm in fairly good shape."

"Good," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him lightly. "Don't know how you put up with what those monsters do to you," she sighed.

"Two things, one of which can help you," he tipped her chin up gently. "First, where there is life, there is hope. As long as you're still breathing, there is a chance at escape or rescue. Survival is everything. You do what you have to to keep breathing. The second one ... this isn't the worst I've lived through."

"It has to do with the other... things I can smell on you?" Kirstie murmured, nuzzling his neck lightly.

"Ever heard of Traveris?" he asked her softly.

"I've... heard of it," she murmured. "You were there, once?"

"Yes, and they brought one of their nobles in to work on me last week," he sighed, relaxing slightly with her in his arms. "No matter what anyone says, Traveris never really leaves you, once you've been a slave there."

"So she treated you pretty well, since you were behaving?" She guessed, snuggling back against him.

"Yes," he murmured, grateful the memories were already fading quickly. "Traveris' methods don't work quick, but they weren't designed for quick interrogations. It's all about conditioning and long-term behavior modification for them. Making a savage into a pliable pet. She wouldn't think twice about spending six months or more on a single pet."

"So why'd she let you come back here?" She murmured.

"Not her choice," he shrugged, still stiff and sore, but his wounds well on their way to healing.

"How long y'think you have until they come back for you?" She asked him softly, closing her eyes with a sigh.

Jake glanced towards the door. "Probably a couple hours, if not over night," he said thoughtfully. "They would have taken me to an interrogation chamber is it was going to be soon."

"Would you be up to a little fun? A bit more gentle than last time?" She asked him hopefully.

"All right," he murmured, caressing her cheek as he rolled to his back and gently pulled her down on top of him.

"Thank you," she murmured, kissing him as she rolled over on top of him. "I... couldn't have half-breeds, could I?" She asked him quietly.

"They exist," he admitted. "But are incredibly rare. Probably a one in hundred thousand chance."

"Probably pretty decent odds against it yet, then," Kirstie chuckled weakly. "Didn't feel like it, sometimes. You didn't give them anything more?" She guessed, running her fingers through the soft fur of his chest as she straddled his hips.

"Nope," he murmured, looking up at her in the dim light of the cell. He reached up and began to fondle her breasts, running his thumbs around her nipples.

"Mmm ... you want to talk about what happened at all?" She asked him, rubbing her sex against his as she pressed into his hands.

"No," he murmured, rocking his hips up against hers to encourage his arousal after the last week. Fed or not, it wasn't all that easy to want this.

"If you're not up to this, we can just snuggle," she murmured. "There are other ways we can enjoy our time without sex."

"You deserve a little pleasure," he said softly, even as he was relieved to be given an out. "It's not going to get any better for either of us while we're in here."

"I know," she murmured, kissing him and laying by his side, reaching down to stroke his sheath with her fingers. "There are other ways we can pleasure each other though."

Jake closed his eyes and sighed softly, enjoying the gentle sexual contact that didn't expect anything more of him. "True," he murmured and reached between them to lightly finger the swollen lips of her sex, trying to give as much as he got.

"Do you have anybody back home?" She asked him, nuzzling his neck as she spread her legs for him with a low moan.

"Not like you mean," he murmured, stroking her labia with gentle fingers as his thumb rolled her clit with his thumb. "I'm an Enforcer Cadet with the pilot/gunner program. My pilot's the most important person in my life."

"The one who... I'm sorry," she murmured, kissing him gently. "They made me watch what they showed you."

"I know," he sighed, letting his face roll into her shoulder. "Yes, him. Name's Chance Furlong. They're lying about him too. What about you? Anyone to help care for the kits you probably have?"

"My girlfriend, Trina,' she murmured. "You wouldn't _have_ to worry about them, we'll get by. You think they let him go?"

"I kinda doubt it," he admitted. "It'd be pretty risky; he could lead them here, or at least let them know who has me. There's a good chance he's dead by now if he can't tell them anything more that's useful. He's not that valuable for trade."

"How can you be so sure they were lying?" She asked him gently, slipping a finger down his sheath lightly, moaning as his fingers danced up to her clit.

"I know him," Jake said with absolute conviction in his soft voice even as he moaned at her efforts. "He may have given up the intel, but he'd never turn his back on MegaKat City."

"What'll... mmm... what'll happen if he did give it up?"

"If he does get back home?" Jake clarified. "Nothing, really. It's never been a crime to give in to torture."

"I suppose not... I've never really looked into it," Kirstie murmured. "I should stop talking, shouldn't I?" She chuckled lowly, reaching down to fondle his balls lightly.

"I don't mind," he murmured into her fur as he moaned, his body finally starting to respond to her efforts. "Just don't have much good to say. I don't expect we'll get out of this alive any more than Chance would. It'll just take longer."

"Mmm ... then let's take advantage of the time we have," she moaned softly, pressing into his fingers, her own sliding back slightly as she fingered his well-used anus only to have him twitch away sharply. "Not something you like, then," she murmured and focused on his balls and filling sheath again.

"No argument with that," he rubbed against her hand and brought her mouth up for a long, lingering kiss.

"I'm sorry," she murmured into his mouth, stroking his sheath with her fingertips as she closed her eyes. "Think there's any way we could get out besides the door?" She asked him, gasping as he rubbed her clit again with fingers slick with her juices.

"Do you see one?" he pointed out even as his breath quickened slightly and his penis began to slip from its sheath.

"Didn't know if there was something behind the grate," she murmured, focusing her attention on the head of his cock, and how his fingers were rubbing her sex. "Wasn't sure if you knew about somethin', being an Enforcer."

"I checked. It's just to stop access to the bulb," he breathed more sharply, then moaned. "There's nothing behind it."

"M'kay," she panted, wrapping her hand around his cock as it stiffened further, stroking him lightly. "If you want inside me, let me know."

"When I'm hard, feel free," he let his head roll back, enjoying the attention even as he spread the lips of her sex with two fingers and rubbed the middle one along her entire sex, from the opening of her body to her hard clit that felt strangely more erotic to rub against than when he pressed the top of a finger inside her.

"Mmm ... if we both last that long," she promised, kissing him, wrapping a leg lightly around his hips. "Love how this feels," she murmured, rubbing his cock against her labia and clit as his hand slid out of the way.

"It does feel good," he moaned, rocking his hips against her gently and lifted his gooey fingers to her mouth. "Amazed you want any, after a week with those dogs."

"You're different," Kirstie murmured, suckling his fingers clean. "You're not as rough, and you give me a choice."

"I'm not into rape," he thrust up against her sex with a little more force and caressed her breasts and nipples with his hands. "You do feel good," he admitted with a moan.

"So do you," she murmured, shifting to take him into her sex with a moan, milking his shaft. "Especially in there!" she nearly cried out as he groaned and grabbed her hips, thrusting up into her with the drive of instincts cut loose, but driven by a willingness of both parties, rather than drugs and pheromones.

It was only a couple more thrusts before he pulled her against him and rolled, putting her on her back as he thrust. With his hands spread to support himself, he lowered his head to lick and suck on her nipples. He could taste the Wolf-seed on them, but the pleasure it gave her was enough to put up with the taste.

She moaned, pressing up against him, rubbing the back of his head and scratching his neck as she milked him, kissing the top of his head.

"So much better like this," she murmured as her body began to tingle and tighten with the building pleasure.

"Yes, it is," he panted, purring as his balls tightened, readying to empty themselves as she cried out and pulled him down, her body trembling and spasming around him in raw pleasure.

He thrust into her, deep and hard, his cock and balls tingling, and suddenly the door slid open and he was grabbed by the scruff and pulled off her roughly. The abrupt shift in conditions weren't enough to halt the orgasm that was already beginning and he convulsed in the big male's hand, shooting his seed all over Kirstie's belly, breasts and face.

"You just put him back!" Kirstie protested, starting to get up, unconsciously licking some of Jake's seed from her face even as she saw him regain enough control to twist and strike at the Wolf holding him by the scruff, driving his claws deep into the thick arm.

"Oh, don't worry," the male grinned lecherously at her as another grabbed her. "You're joining in this fun this time."

"Wh-" She shut up fast as the Wolf pulled her close and wrapped a hand around her throat.

"Stop fighting, or she stops breathing," he told Jake darkly, tightening his grip around her throat until the tom froze and unlatched his claws, going limp in the Wolf's grip.

"Good boy," the one holding Jake sneered and walked out, followed by the one holding Kirstie into a group of four others to make sure both Kats got to the interrogation room.

"I-I don't know anything, he hasn't _told_ me anything," Kirstie tried to tell them, stammering even as she was carried into the interrogation room and tossed unceremoniously onto the floor.

"Hardly matters," a Wolf told her even as someone grabbed her and locked her into a harness so she was fully available but facing Jake, who was in a similar setup, only his was secured to the floor so he couldn't shift it. "He won't talk to save himself, maybe he will to save you."

"I won't," Jake promised them quietly.

"Just lie," she mouthed to him, eyes terrified as she saw the wolves preparing to play with the two of them, stripping down and getting themselves hard. "Please!"

"Won't help," he told her. "Relax, take it, and pass out."

She whimpered, closing her eyes as they fitted a ring-gag into her mouth and put a collar around her neck, fastening her tail to it.

"You'll really let an innocent civilian suffer for your pig-headedness?" the interrogator, a big black male, asked.

"Yes," he said simply. He felt terrible about it, but it was the truth. He wasn't going to give up his homeland's security for anything they could do. He knew even better than they did what they could do with what was inside RD1.

"Have at her then, boys," the black male shrugged. Tears leaked from the corners of Kirstie's eyes as she braced herself, then screamed as the first of them plunged his cock into her unlubed ass, eyes wide with pain, her mouth held open and not yet plugged with a cock, so Jake could see and hear her every response without her having the chance to hold them back from him.

He didn't hide that this bothered him, that he wanted to help her, to stop this for her, and knew he couldn't.

"I'm sorry," was all he said.

The Wolves kept going, the six of them each picking a hole and fucking it without holding back at all while others demanded information from Jake. Other security codes, watch schedules, anything, it seemed, that might be less sensitive than access to RD1. Through her pleading and their demands, despite the knot in his stomach and the occasional frustrated beatings, he steadfastly refused to give them anything.

It was the better part of two hours before they were all finished, and while none of the Wolves tied her, but they all pumped a load into her body before stepping back to recover a bit. It was then that they started looking over the other implements they had at hand.

"Time to up this a notch," the lead interrogator, the only one who hadn't undressed or indulged in fucking at least one of them, said with a grim tone that betrayed just how frustrated he was. "You have outlasted most spies, kitten, but you will not outlast me."

"Like hell," Jake hissed.

Kirstie looked over at the large syringe they were drawing full of _something_ , and whimpered lowly, looking back over to Jake pleadingly. She was begging him to give them something, anything. Even a lie could get her out of this, but once they found out that it _was_ a lie... he knew it would be worse for both of them after that.

"Don't worry, girl," the interrogator said as he injected Jake. "This is not for you, and we will not fuck you any more today."

Somehow, that really didn't reassure her at all, especially not as they got dressed in the full body Kevlar armor they'd taken to handling Jake with when he was loose and started to pull out knives, whips, clubs, stun guns, and other implements to work over the drugged tom. The armor made his claws useless, stopped even his teeth and made the kicks and punches he could throw all but pointless. It made them all but invulnerable to him.

"What is th...." Jake's voice trailed off in a woozy stagger as he was turned loose and struggled to stand.

"Synder," the interrogator replied. "Familiar with it?"

"Yeah, bad choice," Jake set his jaw, all too aware of what was going to come for him.

"What they may not have told you is that if the antidote is given in the first hour, the side effects are negated," the big Wolf told him. "You'll sleep the rest of it off, pain-free."

"Well, relatively pain free," a particularly sadistic Wolf in the circle around Jake grinned viciously.

"True," the big one laughed. "It'll be less painful than if yolu've still got it in your system. So, who goes first?"

"You," Jake suddenly twisted and leapt high, over the heads of those around him, and right at the only unarmored target in the room; the interrogator.

The huge black Wolf flipped a sawed-off shotgun out of a shoulder holster, firing it at Jake as he lunged at him. A bean-bag round caught him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and knocking him back into the armored guards. His efforts were rewarded with a punch to the ribs already bruised by the shot he'd taken, and he was sure he felt one crack.

He took several more kicks, each knocking him into the next like some oversized soccer ball, before he came to rest.

"How many times were you kicked?" the interrogator began with something simple.

"S-six," Jake gasped for a full breath against bruised and cracked ribs as he felt the cocktail of drugs begin to kick in with a burning in his brain that spread down his spine to his limbs.

"Good," the big black grinned. "Now, the first character in the code to RD1."

"No," Jake growled, twisting around to grab onto the boot that came for him next, taking it in the chest but holding on and crawling up the Wolf's Kevlar-armored leg in a determined effort to get to something he could injure.

He took a stun-gun to the side, energy crackling through him and making him fall to the ground.

"One digit, and they'll stop kicking you for a while," the Captain explained.

"No!" Jake snarled, almost making it to his feet before someone caught him in the groin hard enough to send him flying, almost head-high.

Another one picked him up while he was still gasping for breath, his groin burning with pain.

"Look, if you _want_ to keep being a punching bag, no skin off my nose - but I'd hate to have to switch to your girlfriend when you're too loopy to notice it anymore," he grinned, reaching back to lift Jake's tail as one of them jabbed his anus with a nightstick.

The tom could only scream, his body trying to continue even past the point when he didn't have any breath left to make a sound. The ragged breaths in came with growls, and he was drop-kicked again, the nightstick sill deep inside his body, preventing him from curling much to protect himself.

"So, how many kicks this time?" the interrogator asked when he rolled to a stop again.

"Five," Jake gasped, his brain and body on fire in a way he knew he could stand. It was the fuzzy way his mind was running he knew was fatal to keeping secrets.

"A digit to the RD1 code," the big black repeated the demand.

With tears in his eyes, Jake slumped to the ground, every line in his body defeated. "Five," he barely mumbled.

"Good. Now, which digit?" The Wolf asked him, stepping forward and putting his foot on the handle of the nightstick, ready to either push it further in or pull it out, depending on the answer he got.

Jake growled, but for once it was not at the Wolf. He was trembling, already beginning to hallucinate, when he finally sobbed out an answer. "Th-third."

"Good boy," he nodded, pulling the nightstick out of his ass slowly, letting the wood-grain torture him on its way out. "Give him the antidote; we'll try for digit number two tomorrow. At this rate, a little more than a week and he'll be done." 

* * *

Jake's first awareness after the antidote injection and passing out was of intense pain and dim light. His groin was in so much pain he barely felt it, but he knew he would eventually. His ribs struggled to let him breath, and someone was trying to roll him over. 

Kirstie, his nose told him, and in his cell.

"Are you awake? Just open your eyes if you are," she told him gently.

He tried to say something, but only managed a moan at first, but he did get his eyes open.

She looked honestly scared, and he was having a devil of a time working out why that could be.

"If you can roll over, I need to make sure your ribs are wrapped up ... they didn't really give me much to work with, but I'm gonna do my best."

"Thanks," he managed hoarsely and focused enough to roll over, checking for how badly damaged he was with the extent and kind of pain.

"I think they might've torn you, under your tail," she told him apologetically. "They gave me a first aid kit... think they're a bunch of sick bastards," she muttered, wrapping some bandages around his ribs. Several of them were broken, he was sure. If he got out of this... who was he kidding?

There wasn't any way out of this right now.

"I'll know better in a few hours," he managed to say as his conscious mind began to get the pain under control. "And sick bastards ... that's a given. If they did that kind of damage, they'll fix it. Infection would kill me before the get what they want."

"Well, they left me to do the job for now," she sighed. "Jake? Why now?" She asked him gently, checking him for any other injuries and found mostly bruises.

"Synder ... really nasty truth serum," he explained. "Heightens pain, causes delirium and generally makes it a bitch to keep the truth from coming out."

"Why didn't they just _start_ with it then?" She asked him.

"Expense, not usually needed, personal style," he stopped a shrug. "It's got higher than typical odds of going badly and doing permanent damage."

"Do you think they'll try it on me, to get to you?" She asked quietly, pulling the painkillers out of the kit. "Here, you ought to take these."

"Unlikely," he said and accepted the pills without debate. "Not much point to it when they know what'll work to get me to talk."

"I guess not," she murmured, tucking her tail between her legs. "Think they'll open up with it, the way they did last time?"

"I don't know," he sighed and tried to relax to let his body heal as best it could. "They might, they might try to buy your freedom for more of the code, or they might kill you outright, now that they know they don't need you anymore."

"I don't want to die," she whispered, kissing his cheek gently. "Jake... do you think there's any way we could make me useful to them?"

"No one wants to die," he pointed out. "I don't, even though I expect I will when they get the code and are sure it's the right one. As for being useful ... ask'm. I'm not going to tell you anything they want to know."

"I understand," she murmured. "Jake... does all of this mean anything, anymore?"

"Hu?" he blinked at her, trying to get his mind to work on something other than pain control.

"I mean, they're asking for codes to get into someplace, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded slightly.

"Wouldn't that be different now?" she frowned.

"Probably," he acknowledged. "Probably got changed the day they found out I was missing."

"So why does it _matter_ that you're fighting them like this?" She asked him. "What's all of this worth, if the information's worthless?"

"They know the code's not going to be of any good," he pointed out. "They knew when I didn't give in that first round that it wasn't going to do them any good. Whatever they're trying to do, it's not really about that code. It's probably about breaking me down to the point where I'll answer more complex questions."

"But then wouldn't it be _better_ to give in earlier, so you've actually got something left when they start on the real ones?" She asked him with a frown.

"Nope," he said simply. "They'll just pick something else to use until I break for real. It's how this kind of interrogation is done. You just work the person over until they don't resist anymore."

"And after all that, you just get rid of them?"

"If they aren't of any more use," he nodded. "I might be of value enough to trade, I know at least three corps that would pay ransom for me, but in general, you don't come out alive."

"Where'd you _learn_ about all this?" She asked him, stroking his chest lightly.

"I've been a prisoner before, when I worked for a megacorp, but most of it's part of Enforcer training for flight teams," he said. "Neither one really works under the same rules as normal civilians do."

"I guess not," she murmured. "Why won't the Enforcers try to get you back?"

"They might not have anyone to trade, and from what's been said, Lothos may not have any intention to admit they have me," he said simply. "No one can trade for someone that the other side won't admit to having. If they do know, rescue is as likely than trade."

"And even if they know you were kidnapped, they don't know who'd have you," she nodded with a sigh. "We'll just have to hope they find out soon, then... they _would_ rescue you, right?"

"I expect they'd try," he said softly. "Or have the Deputy Mayor pressure the Alpha Lord and Lady. We're not in the habit of leaving prisoners behind. But once _somebody_ on the outside knows, there will be an attempt by someone."

"Think there's any way to get word out?" She asked him. "Maybe with the Traverian?"

"If she's going to, she will," he sighed. "I wouldn't count on it though. They film _everything_ here. It's pretty much down to the investigation of my disappearance, and Chance's. There's reasonable odds enough clues were left behind in my security system for the Enforcers to figure it out."

" _They_ know how to get into it, right?" She asked him hopefully.

"They'll have to break the door down, and it'll set off all the alarms, but they can get in," he kinda shrugged. "There are rules against automating deadly home security."

"You'd _do_ that?" She asked him, looking at him with a surprised expression. "If you could? I just figured you might have set it up to delete the stuff if they didn't know the codes... privacy, y'know?"

"Hell yes, if I thought I could get away with it," he actually laughed until his ribs reminded him how bad an idea it was. "It's not going to delete anything about trouble in the place. I may be security-conscious, but I'd like to be found when kidnapped, y'know? It's not the first time somebody's grabbed me, and _she_ wouldn't have given me back if it wasn't for the political pressure my employer was able to put on her because they found out who had me."

"Makes sense," she nodded. "Gods... wouldn't it be horrible if _she_ was the one who rescued you, after she finds out?" She laughed weakly, laying down next to him. "What about these corps that might want you?"

"I wouldn't go," he said simply, his tone grim. "As for the corps, they know how good a designer I am. They weren't terribly happy when I went Enforcer, but they also know I won't be one forever, and I'd be useful to them well past the point when I can't make the Enforcer physical anymore."

"Pumadyne?" She guessed. "One of 'em the Enforcers work with a lot?"

"Among others," he nodded. "I worked for more than a few of them in the last thirty years."

"When they come to get you out... will you try to get them to take me too?" She asked him quietly.

"If you're still alive," he nodded.

"Thank you," she nodded, closing her eyes and sighing softly. "Get some sleep, while you can... we'll probably both need it."

"Probably," he murmured and closed his eyes. 

* * *

Jake came awake with a start when the door slid open. He almost managed to move before he was grabbed by a gloved hand and hauled out with no care for his bandaged ribs or other injuries.

"Come on - time for the other nine," the Wolf who was holding him said gruffly, slamming the door shut and hauling Jake down the hallway.

One glance up told Jake this Wolf wore the Kevlar body suit they'd all taken to wearing once it had become clear that beatings weren't a way to keep him from attacking at every opportunity, but making it ineffective was.

"What is it with you Kats and enjoying being a kickball, anyway?" the Wolf grumbled.

"We don't," Jake growled back. "Just like giving up secrets less."

"Well, you gave in easy enough the other day," he smirked. "Just glad the Captain didn't bother with the drug before, or we'd never've gotten that tight ass of yours to play with."

Jake just growled in response to that, the sound cutting out when he was shoved into a chair, probably the same chair as his first questioning. This wasn't a setup for another game of kick-the-kat, or fuck-the-kat for that matter.

"So, are you going to talk, or do I get to introduce you to the finer points of pain under synder?"

"I'm not giving you squat," Jake bared his teeth at the Wolf he'd taken a chunk out of on his first day.

"Glad to hear it," the Captain smiled darkly as Jake was strapped into the chair and bound so that he couldn't struggle too much. "I'd hate to think they'd broken you _that_ badly so easily."

All Jake could do was growl and glare with bared teeth as the drug was injected into his arm, hoping for another opening to bite even though he really didn't expect one. In the background, watching from the sidelines, he saw the shewolf that unnerved him the most, the Lieutenant General.

"We've already got a portion of the code," he told him simply. "The faster you give us the rest of it, the easier this will go on you. You _will_ give us the rest of it, whether you want to or not."

"And what do you want from me after you get it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing that isn't yours to give," he said simply. "You may only be an Enforcer Cadet, but Jake Clawson's name is known for other reasons."

"Buy'm, like anybody else who gets one of my jets," he snapped, knowing full well they would never be allowed to on the open market.

"Ah, but you see, we don't want your second-hand models, the ones they've decided it's safe to let the rest of the world have a crack at. We want the originals," the Captain explained. "Parity. Equality. All those good things MegaKat City claims to stand for. A true balance, rather than one negotiated from a position of weakness. Your current designs aren't available, not in usable qualities. The Enforcers have fleets of them, but we couldn't get more than a handful, for the same price as the Enforcer fleet."

"Then you shouldn't have pissed off who builds them," Jake growled. "You really think I'd design a real fighter for the enemy?"

"Do you want your girlfriend or kits to live?" He countered, pulling a heavy glove on his good hand. "You'll do the job, eventually."

"Not for their lives," Jake flattened his ears with a deep growl. "Not for mine either."

"We'll see about that," he chuckled. "So, now that you know what we _are_ after, why don't you make it easier for yourself and give us the code?"

"Why bother asking for it?" Jake countered defiantly. "You must know it was changed days ago."

"If you'd rather we just skip ahead to beating the shit out of you until you put pencil to paper, we can do that," the Captain chuckled. "Your call." He struck Jake across the face, the weighted glove slamming his head to the side.

"Fine," the tom managed to growl instead of cry out in pain as the first trickle of the drug's effects of his nervous system made themselves felt along with a trickle of blood from his mouth.

"Just for the record, why _don't_ you give us the code? It might be fun to find out if they've lapsed in their security procedures for once."

"You don't deserve it," he growled back.

The Wolf punched him in the stomach again, aiming for a kidney this time.

"How about your personal access codes then? We know your house, but what about your computer, hmm?"

"No!" Jake snarled at him, turning pain into anger while he could.

"Are you sure?" He grinned, twisting his fist, grinding his knuckles against Jake's injured ribs and elicited a sharp cry pain. "I'll start getting creative after this."

"Fuck off!" Jake hissed despite the tears in his eyes.

"Eventually," he chuckled, taking off the glove and opening up a lock-blade knife and catching Jake's eye with the tip in front of the tom's face. "First, I'm going to cut you up from ears to toes, then I'll work on what's between your legs."

Jake only glared at him, sure he'd need every bit of strength to keep the information to himself for the next hour.

"Stubborn damn Kat," the Wolf muttered and made a nick in Jake's left ear. 

It bled, it hurt, but it would heal without a scar if it saw any care.

"Not 'goina tell you squat," Jake growled despite the whimpers in his throat as his blood pooled inside his ears from the cuts.

The blade of the knife danced down his face, a series of tiny nicks across the bridge of his muzzle and his nose were the next to grace his face, each so shallow that they didn't actually cut the nerves beneath, bleeding freely and making his entire face burn.

"Give us your passwords," the Captain repeated as one of his underlings brought in a bucket.

It took Jake a moment to make the wooziness go away enough to process the demand, and he barred his teeth in reply.

"Fine," he nodded and took the bucket, throwing its hard, granular contents into Jake's face.

He had just enough warning to shut his eyes before it hit, but an instant later his entire body convulsed despite the bonds holding him in place as the damp salt adhered to his fur, his blood, and every oozing cut.

"Now, _tell_ me, or you'll be getting a more intimate introduction," the Captain warned him, setting the bucket of rock salt in Jake's lap and taking him by the scruff.

"No," he cried out, his entire face weeping blood as it tried to rid him of the salt melting into every exposed bit of flesh. "Will not."

The Captain plunged his face into the bucket, grinding it into the waiting damp, slushy rock salt, working it into every one of the cuts, and a few of the old ones. Against all of Jake's frantic struggles he held the tom's face into the bucket with far more strength than even the panicking Kat could manage.

Finally he pulled Jake's face back up by the scruff and shook it to dislodge the loose salt.

"I go to your body next," he warned darkly, his knife playing along one exposed nipple.

"Nu'ray," Jake whimpered, his entire world pain and shadows.

The Captain shrugged, cutting downwards, slicing into the nipple and the dark, lightly-furred skin around it. Five more cuts and he took a handful of damp salt to rub into Jake's chest, feeling as much as hearing the way the half-coherent Kat screamed between babbled cries and snarls.

"Hey, guys! Get somebody out here to get his cock out, will ya?" he eventually said.

One of the others came out with a long probe to slide down his sheath.

Jake squirmed and yipped in pain as the cold metal pulled his soft cock out far enough that the sensitive protrusions below the head were exposed. It was clear on his face that even though the synder was muddling his thoughts quite a bit, he knew something bad was up, but not a clue as to what.

"Now, give us your password, or you'll look like a fourteen year old kit again," the Captain promised him, picking one of the soft protrusions and pressing the blade of the knife against it as Jake's eyes went wide.

Fear. For the first time he really did feel honest fear at what the Wolves would do to him.

Even worse, he knew they could see it on his face, smell it in his scent.

"I was beginning to wonder if anything but that desert girl could get to you," the Captain sneered, pressing the blade against the tip of the nub until a bit of blood trickled from it.

"No," Jake finally found his voice, and the steely tone surprised almost everyone.

"Your choice," the Wolf said grimly, finishing the cut, going through the nerve-sense skin. Blood flowed freely, and Jake didn't even try to hold back his screams of pain or the tears flowing down his face. 

Even without the drug in his system that would have been an agony. With it, he wasn't entirely sure how long he could focus on anything but making the pain stop.

"Now, _what is the password_?" The Captain demanded again, moving the knife to a second one and getting ready to cut again.

"Ren," Jake garbled out around the tears of pain and difficulty keeping track of what shadows were Wolves and which were just in his head.

"That's not it," someone in the background said after a moment of typing.

The Wolf shook his head and slowly sliced into the next nub, prepared for the way Jake's body jerked around against the restraints. "You are lucky you have such valuable information, Kat," he growled in growing frustration. "We could have killed most people by now. You ... you I'm under orders to keep alive no matter how long it takes. We can be at this for years."

He paused, playing his knife along the blood-slick cock without cutting into it as his words sunk into the tom's struggling brain.

"Do you understand that?" the Captain asked. "You won't die here."

Jake stared at him, his drug-drenched brain struggling to keep track of reality. "Rena," he mumbled, his head no longer able to stay upright.

"It's still not working," the Wolf shook his head.

"We'll have to wait a few hours before we start again; he's too far gone to keep going," the Captain muttered, though not before taking a handful of salt, getting blood all over his palm, and wrapping it around Jake's cock, stroking him slowly as the tom screamed the word over and over as he thrashed against his constraints and the pain.

"That has to be it," the Lieutenant General said. "Run it through every language, every technical and social dialect. Find out what it means and we'll get the right word."

"Yes, 'ma'am," the Wolf with Jake's laptop hurried off to begin the work.

It left Jake only vaguely aware of his surroundings, fighting shadows and figments as much as the armored Wolves who unstrapped him and hauled him back to his cell and the welcome darkness and unwelcome hardness of the floor.

As he struggled to roll over, a dark, looming, horned figure rushed towards him, leaning down to pick him up in clawed hands.

Reflex was all he had and even aware of his mental state, he let didn't even try to stop himself from attacking the monster with dulled claws and sharp teeth.

The figure reared back with a scream, and a huge hand closed on his shoulder, tossing him back against the wall as the demon cowered on the other side of the room, Jake's entire body burning, the cold cement grating his feet, he let himself be still, slumped in the corner, as long as nothing else came close.

Eventually, exhaustion and pain brought his mind to an uneasy rest. Not quite unconsciousness, but not exactly sleep either.

"Jake?"

Female, frightened, not that close.

"Jake?" she repeated until he reluctantly opened his eyes to the dimly lit world of his cell and the lingering pain of the drugs and beating.

"Wh't?" he managed to hiss out.

"Can I try to patch you up without you coming at me this time?" Kirstie asked him quietly.

He took a long moment to try and process that, working to focus past the blurriness of his vision to look at her.

"Yeah," he finally managed to say.

"Thank you," she murmured, starting to work on the still-seeping wounds he had. "The drug still in your system?"

"Probably," he mumbled. "Not seeing things anymore though."

"That's something," she sighed. "What'd you see, when you came in here?" She asked him, wrapping some gauze around his chest carefully.

"Demon trying to attack me," he shuddered at her touch and the spikes of agony it caused.

"Can't fault you for not being brave," she chuckled weakly. "A demon comes at you, bloody and injured, and you go in for a full-frontal assault? Takes guts."

"Or just nuts," he tried not to chuckle. "What knocked me back, since you aren't a bloody mess?"

"One of the Wolves," Kirstie explained. "Apparently they don't want me dead just yet," she chuckled weakly. "So... who's Rena?"

"Nobody," Jake mumbled, his tone a little loopy yet. "Don't know a Rena."

"You kept saying it while you were delirious earlier," she explained. "Something in Traverian?"

Jake frowned, trying to place the reference in extremely muddled memories. "Did I say anything else?"

"Not that I could make out... you just kept saying 'It's Rena' over and over," she told him, carefully trying to get some of the excess salt out of his fur without opening his wounds any more than they already were.

"Retina," Jake eventually mumbled even as his body went sharply tense. "No more questions," he said quickly. "Drugs ... they might be listening."

"I understand," Kirstie nodded. "It doesn't look like they cut you too deeply, but they did a thorough job of it... I've got some water for you, you'll need more fluids," she told him, giving him a small bowl of room-warm water.

"Thanks," he murmured and used a bit to clear as much salt from his mouth as he could before swallowing the rest. 

* * *

Jake could still feel the drugs in his system when the door opened next, and despite a fervent desire to move, his body was having none of it.

"Get up," the Wolf told him gruffly. "You too," he added, leering at Kirstie until it became apparent that the tom wasn't going to move on his own.

"Stupid Kat," he muttered and grabbed Jake by the scruff, ignoring the screech of pain it elicited, and dragged him out of the cell.

"He's not looking so good," one of the others commented.

"About damn time," someone else did. "Only took two weeks to break him this far."

"You're going to kill him if you don't back off of him!" Kirstie protested.

"He's just coming to watch," the second Wolf pointed out, grabbing her wrist. "You're the main event today."

"Why?" she squeaked, trying to pull away. "He won't tell you anything that way."

"She's got that right," Jake managed to grunt out.

"We'll see about that," the Wolf chuckled. "Hope he does though - hate to have to take this all the way. We don't get shekats to play with that often," he grinned wickedly, hauling her towards the interrogation room.

"All the...." she squirmed, her fur fluffed in fear. "What does he mean?"

"We're going to kill you, and the kits, if he doesn't talk," the Wolf explain bluntly.

"Jake?" She called out as she was led down a separate path than he was, hauled off towards another room.

"Good bye, Kirstie," he said softly, though it was loud enough for her to hear the regret in his voice.

"After all this, and what you've given us already, you're going to just let her die?" The guard asked him with a chuckle, getting him to the interrogation room and strapping him into the chair.

"Pretty much," he said. "Their lives aren't worth what you're asking for."

"Now, now," the Captain chuckled as he came in. "All we want is for you to keep your eyes open for a few minutes. Building a retinal scanner into your webcam - very smart."

"So what's next?" Jake grumbled with an internal sigh, even as he knew where the day _would_ go, once they tried to log in.

"Very simple. You log into your computer, and then we create a new account. After that, you go back to your room. If you _don't_...." He lifted a curtain into a hallway, where Kirstie was on her knees. "We kill her. If you _do_ , then we let her go." To emphasize that it was possible, they opened the door at the end, showing that it did lead to the outside.

"You get what's on the laptop, and she walks out and doesn't come back?" Jake asked suspiciously.

"Of course," the Captain nodded. "She's not worth anything to us, after all."

Jake looked at Kirstie, thought about it, and nodded. "All right. _If_ she is provided a way to get back to her girlfriend and MKC."

"Of course," he nodded. "Now, unlock the computer."

Jake continued to glare at him suspiciously. "I'll need my hands free," he pointed out.

"Very well. If you try anything, she dies," he pointed out, undoing the straps on Jake's wrists and having the computer brought over.

Jake nodded and turned the power on, flicking his middle right finger over the print-scanner, then his left eye close to the built-in high-resolution webcam, then his left thumb over the print-scanner, his right eye close to the webcam and finally sat back so it could see his entire face.

"Jake Clawson, acknowledge access," he finally said at the final password prompt.

"Primary account accessed," the computer announced.

"Now, set up an account for him," the Captain said, nodding towards the Wolf next to him. "Full privileges."

Jake signed and nodded, typing quickly as he began the setup. "Do what it tells you to," he handed the laptop over. "It'll ask for each scan at least three times."

The Wolf did as the computer directed, then gave it back to Jake for the voice and facial confirmation it demanded.

"Jake Clawson, acknowledge new account creation, full admin rights," Jake said evenly.

"Process complete," the computer chirped. 

The Wolf took it back, logged out, and then back in to confirm it had worked. He nodded to the Captain, who patted Jake's shoulder. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

All it earned him was a low growl and flattened ears from his captive, though for once Jake didn't lash out further.

"All right, turn her loose," the Captain ordered them. They let her go, and after she looked around nervously, Kirstie turned and bolted for the door. "Send a scout after her with money and clothes for a flight to MegaKat City."

"Yes Sir," one of the others nodded, heading off to do just that.

"Now...." The Captain said, turning back towards Jake. "With that bargaining chip gone, I guess we're right back to drugs and beatings to get your help," he chuckled.

"Depends on what you ask for," Jake said quietly.

"Well, in case it happens to matter, we're looking for your help with translating the schematics in there. I'm sure you've got a few of your own little encryption tricks we'll need your help with."

"I haven't met the engineer who didn't have their own dialect," Jake agreed. "And no. You'll have to work that out yourself."

"Right then." He nodded to one of the armored Wolves to bind Jake to the chair again and had a syringe of the drug drawn. "You do remember that we won't kill you?"

"Yeah, I remember," Jake said grimly, not really fighting as he was injected. "Won't do you any good."

"You're about to discover another little side effect of synder," the Captain grinned. "Remember the first day you were here? It's payback time." He started to strip down, walking around behind Jake.

"I remember," the tom gave him a vicious grin back. "Come a little closer and I'll give you a repeat."

"Only if you've got teeth in your ass," he smirked, lifting Jake's tail up. "You feel it yet? The synder setting your nerves on fire?"

"You know I do," Jake growled to the truth of it. Still, there was no way this Wolf could hurt him like being turned into a kickball did by fucking him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jake found it mildly amusing and more than a little disturbing that he simply didn't feel anything about the prospect of being raped yet again. He knew the blasé happened to some, but he never figured it would take less than two weeks.

The Wolf took his hips, sliding his thick, throbbing cock, already slick with lube to Jake's surprise, up into his well-used and abused ass and leaning forward.

"Let's see if you feel the same way after you've begged for release," the Captain rumbled, starting to thrust slowly, starting to thrust slowly into Jake's well-abused ass with a measured pace.

"Not a chance," Jake growled, wincing in pain and privately irritated by how quickly his body decided it liked this.

"Your cock's not so sure," the Wolf grinned, reaching down to stroke it as he shifted his thrusts to rub against Jake's prostate, his knot slowly swelling.

"What are you...." Jake gasped out in surprise, only to moan in pleasure despite the drugs in his system. "What are you doing?"

"Mmm ... making you cum, if I do this right," he grinned. "You never realized you're a little ... mmm ... a little faggot, did you?"

"Am not," Jake growled, wishing for all the world he wasn't bound so he could try ripping into this Wolf. He focused on that, on the hate and pain, so he didn't have to feel how quickly he was getting off on this. What the hell was wrong with him?

It had to be the drug... there was no other explanation.

But he hadn't been drugged that first day....

"Bullshit," the Wolf groaned, thrusting harder against his prostate. "You've been coming... mmm... twice for my boys for every once with that bitch of yours."

Jake couldn't think of anything to say to that, and the competing signals of his body made him more than willing to ignore whatever the Wolf was saying, and most of what he was doing. It was all Jake could do to keep the whimpers of need under control for the next breath.

It wouldn't last. He couldn't.

"Say it," the Wolf demanded with a groan. "Admit you are getting off on this more than with her."

"N-n...." Jake moaned, his body shuddering, forcing whimpers of need from his throat as the synder worked on his brain. "Y-yes."

"Good boy," the Wolf grabbed his scruff in his jaws and began to fuck him a little harder.

Jake was only vaguely cognizant of a commotion behind him, where the door was, as he cried out in pleasure from the Wolf fucking him. Even as his seed spilled to the floor beneath him, the breath was knocked out of him by a heavy weight dropping down on top of him, forcing him nearly flat on the floor.

It was only then that he realized the blood he smelled wasn't his own, the screams belonged to Wolves and the blaster shots were Enforcer, not Lothosin.

"Jake!" a strong, very worried male voice demanded as the dead weight against his back was pulled away, eventually dislodging the thick cock from his ass. "Oh gods," the voice ... Chance's ... sounded absolutely horrified.

"Hay buddy," Jake managed to acknowledge his partner, his body not yet willing to move of it's own accord. "Good," he mumbled, his muddled brain realizing that if his partner was here, he wasn't in enemy hands anymore.

"Grab him and _go_!" a jacked up male snapped at the buff tabby, who complied without any more hesitation.

"Hey!" Jake yelped, then screamed as the sudden movement unleashed a torrent of drug-fuelled agony on his brain. "Synder," he gasped out, hoping his partner or one of the others would understand.

"Sorry," Chance murmured. "But we've got to get you out," he told him.

"Right," Jake focused on making his badly abused and agony-fueled body as compliant with his partner's movements as he could when the tabby hefted him over a shoulder and hauled him out as gingerly as he could while running at full tilt. 

The six special ops Enforcers gave them cover and cleared the way to a door where they burst out, making a dead bolt run for the clearing and a large helicopter. It was an A-6 Thunderbolt Rescue Model Jake recognized absently, and the engine needed a bit of TLC his mind added.

"He's hyped on Synder," Chance blurted out as he handed his partner off to the medic on board and the chopper began to lift off even before everyone was on board, though it was an easy leap for the last Enforcer to get on board.

"Antidote's on the way," the medic reassured him, popping open his medkit and quickly drawing a dose of it, injecting it into Jake and watching carefully until the tom signed and visibly relaxed. Then he began to work on determining what of Jake's injuries he could treat, and what had to be treated right away.

"It really over?" Jake murmured, his face turned towards his partner in the enclosed and very noisy chopper.

"It's over," Chance promised him, carefully stroking Jake's cheek and soon found his partner absently licking his fingers.

"Damn, you are the most messed up one I've seen since Felina Feral," the medic murmured in amazement as he injected Jake with a painkiller. "You'll be in hospital for a while."

"Figured that," Jake closed his eyes.

"What sort of shape was _she_ in?" Chance asked, frowning as he looked up at the medic. "You need to revive her?"

"Like him, pretty much," he said quietly as he worked on getting salt-crusted blood away from wounds. "Except she was pregnant."

"Shit," Chance murmured. "Anything I can do to help you with him?"

"Stick close, keep him calm," the medic said. "You seem to be doing a good job right now. Mostly don't take anything too personally. Anybody who lasts this long is likely to have flashbacks and wake up disoriented for a while."

"Wasn't that bad," Jake mumbled, only half aware of the conversations around him. "Traveris' much worse."

"Traveris?" Chance asked, before the medic signaled that he should back off the subject. "Look... it's gonna be okay, buddy. We'll have you home in no time."


	4. Lost Day: Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovering in Serenity Thorn, Jake finally learns why his interrogators didn't continue with the methods that worked best, and a few other things.

Jake's awareness of his surroundings came into focus slowly. He was drugged, he was sure, sedated and on heavy painkillers. It was rather like his body was floating in a soft, nebulous white space with pleasant smells and no pain. He was sorely tempted to stay here forever, but one scent drew him out of the comfortable place to open his eyes.

"Hay, buddy," he said weakly, a smile on his face at the sight of his partner next to the bed.

A hospital bed, he eventually realized.

"Hey," Chance smiled back at him. "You gonna be okay, partner?" For being the guy who'd gotten him into this, he seemed awfully calm about it.

"Should be," he nodded carefully, testing his body bit by bit to see just how much damage had been done that was likely to last. "Might take a while though." He paused and looked up at the tabby. "They said you gave up the code to my apartment."

"Then they lied," Chance said softly, scowling at the news. "They wanted me to, but... I got away before it got that far," he said, though Jake was sure there was _something_ he wasn't saying. Considering the vid he remembered bits of, he couldn't really blame him either.

"What I told them," Jake smiled, more than willing to let the secrets be. He wasn't about to go tell what all had happened to him. "When they said you'd gone turncoat I knew they were BSing me."

"I wish they'd been able to find where you were sooner," Chance murmured, reaching over and rubbing Jake's forehead. "They say you'll be able to be debriefed pretty soon," he offered.

"Good, I think," he murmured, closing his eyes at the welcome, gentle touch. "It's not easy to remember already."

"Want me to try and talk them into giving you another couple hours?" Chance asked him softly.

It was sorely tempting, especially with the knowledge that the comforting touch would be gone, but Jake sighed before turning his head to kiss his partner's palm lightly. "No. Might we well get it over with while I still remember anything useful."

"Jake... for what it's worth, there won't be any trouble for anything you told them," Chance told him quietly, leaning down to kiss his forehead lightly. "If you need to talk after they're through with you, I'll be here for ya. I'll go get them now."

"Thanks buddy," Jake smiled before focusing on being as professional as he could while confined to a hospital bed with IVs hooked up to him.

Chance left the room, and after a few moments Lieutenant Commander Blackthorn stepped in, looking at Jake with a grave expression as his aides followed.

"The doctors tell me you'll be all right in a few weeks," he said, considering the damage he could see and the far too calm and coherent look on his recruit's face.

"Yes, sir," Jake said, working to keep his body relaxed to avoid hurting himself any more. "My ribs will probably take the longest to heal."

"Most likely," he nodded. "We'd like to begin your debriefing; can you tell us what happened to you, starting with your abduction?"

"Yes, sir," Jake nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on giving as much useful information as he could. "They got past my security system, made it to the bedroom door before I woke up. I got several shots off, took two down, before they hit me a stun-blaster to the back. Kantin, probably Wolves, heavy southern Lothos accent on the one that did talk.

"I came to strapped to a chair in an interrogation center. The crew was all Wolves, except for one Traveran minor noble. All had Lothos accent on their Katian, most northeastern, the Captain and his pack were deep southern, the Lieutenant General northern city. The Traveran learned in a northern city.

"They wanted the access codes for RD1, then access to my laptop."

"And did they get it?" Blackthorn asked him gently. "The code was changed as soon as you were declared AWOL, there's no harm from that."

"Only one digit," Jake said quietly. "The laptop they have, but it wiped itself and installed a false data set when access failed too many times. I didn't give them anything useful, sir," he said firmly.

"Understood," he nodded. "If you can tell us what methods they used on you, please do."

"Electricity, beatings, rape, starvation, bestiality, blackmail, bribery, several days on synder, a shekat off the street just going into heat, then the kits she probably had, a vid of my partner breaking down and telling them the codes to my place, and a week with the Traveran noble," Jake tried to say it in order, even though he knew he hadn't. "Mostly a lot of repetition, sir."

"What worked the best?" he asked evenly.

"Synder," Jake sighed, visibly unsettled by the fact. "I traded access to the laptop for the girl's freedom, but I knew it didn't have anything viable on it by then. The Traveran would have, if they'd given her enough time and freedom, but they pulled me back into the traditional methods before she had her way."

"How much damage were you able to do while they had you?" Blackthorn asked him.

"Beyond frustrating the hell out of them, not much, sir," Jake admitted with clear annoyance. "Sent a couple to surgery; they took to wearing full body armor pretty quickly. I didn't have any luck trying to escape either. Mostly I just tried to hold out for rescue," he said more quietly, his eyes dropped down.

"And you did," Blackthorn pointed out. "Or came close, at least. What was on your laptop that they wanted?"

"Specs on my projects, past and future, particularly the Mark 1 Raven and its currently unnamed successor. The weapons, engines, control systems and the rest," he sighed. "It's basically my portfolio, the best of what I've done and can do. A country like Lothos could take most of the continent before anybody could slow them down if they put what was on that into production."

"Will you be able to reconstruct your work?" The Lieutenant Commander asked. "It sounds like everything on it was destroyed before they got access."

"Oh, it was," he said with absolute certainty. "They'd have a hard drive full of schematics and specs that _look_ good, but have fatal flaws. It was designed to protect corporate secrets, but it works just as well against governments. As for my work ... getting the laptop replaced will be the difficult part of that. I left on good terms from my previous jobs. Anything the system at home doesn't have I can sweet talk out of corporate. Speaking of that, sir; how much trouble did my apartment give you?"

"More than anywhere else I've heard of," he snorted, but couldn't help but smile at the snicker Jake let escape. "The data it gave us once somebody flashed a badge and identified themselves was impressive, even if it took a couple extra days to figure out why it was telling us about Wolves."

"I though to give an access code set and how to handle the system to Chance in case of anything," Jake admitted. "I never figured he wouldn't be around if I went missing from home."

"Maybe you'll put something in your official file so we can make better use of it in case this happens again?" Blackthorn suggested.

"Yes, sir," he nodded. "I'll put that together when they let me go home, sir."

"You could also just tell your partner that he can put it together for us," he chuckled. "You did well, Cadet Clawson," he said respectfully.

"Thank you, sir," Jake little more than a little proud at the praise. "I will consider that as well."

"Please do," he nodded. "It would make it much easier if this ever happens again. I want you to know that, pending something very unusual coming up, you've passed your Lost Day exercise very well," the Xanith told him, watching Jake's reaction carefully as the tom blinked.

"Lost...." Jake murmured to himself, still trying to process things. "Then the girl was acting?" he asked cautiously.

"She was," he nodded. "And she is not pregnant. She _was_ in heat, but it didn't happen. If you would like to meet her, Kirstie is willing... and for what it's worth, we didn't know about your background with Xiala's family, though we'd still have brought a Traveran in."

"I didn't remember until I saw her, sir," Jake said quietly. "I knew I'd do anything to avoid Traveris, but not why. It came back when I needed it, though. It's difficult to torture somebody who'd been one of their pets, even for a couple weeks, sir. They are _very_ good at what they do, as long as they have time."

"Yes, they are," he nodded. "I'll leave you be, then; if you want some time alone, then just let somebody know to haul Cadet Furlong out," he chuckled. "Just so you don't have any doubts, he _didn't_ break," he said with clear respect for the tabby. "We had to hack your system to get the Wolves inside. He can't be faulted for his loyalty to you; he disobeyed a direct order in favor of it."

"Thank you, sir," Jake smiled warmly at the news, for all he wouldn't have faulted his partner for breaking. "Did he get in any trouble for it?"

"We took it out on him during his own Lost Day, so no," Blackthorn said, shaking his head. "Not seriously, at any rate. I'll let you two rest now; he's been pushing himself hard since he got back, and you _both_ need a few weeks off. Rest up, Cadet; you'll have plenty of homework saved up when you're fit for classes again." He saluted Jake, waiting for him to do the same before leaving the room.

Chance only just managed to wait for the officers to leave before he came back in, trying very hard not to bolt to his partner's side.

"Relax," Jake smiled at him. "It's okay. Go lie down so we can both rest. No one is going to be after us here."

"All right," Chance smiled, squeezing his hand. "You need anything, just wake me up and ask. I'm here for you, partner," he said sincerely, before climbing up onto the second bed in the room and laying back with a groan. Watching him move now, Jake could see he was in pain himself, just hiding it incredibly well.

Before too long, they both managed to fall asleep, letting their battered bodies try to recover.


	5. Three Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years after they graduate from Enforcer Academy, Jake and Chance may live together and work together, but the taunts of sleeping together haven't been true. Yet.

Jake lay in bed, his mind turning over the events of a week ago for the thousandth time.

Chance had come home, whistling a happy tune and clearly very self-satisfied. It was all very normal for a night out. So was his freshly showered state.

It was the wisp of a scent still on his clothes, the smell of his lover that night, that rattled Jake's cage enough to turn his thoughts to becoming more than partners. It would be nice, to have a warm bed at night. Jake knew he wanted it, as difficult as it was to feel desire most nights, and even harder to find the trust it needed.

He knew it was going to be a guy too, after his Lost Day exercise three years ago. It left few memories he could access, and fewer he wanted to, but plenty by way of self-realization. The Captain had one thing right, for all Jake had tried desperately to deny it at the time. He _did_ prefer males. By a significant margin no less. More than that, he preferred being _under_ a male. He was very much a little faggot, a tail raiser ... a guy who wanted to take it in the ass more than plunging into somebody else.

Chance already had his trust, lived in his home, and was everything the lean tom thought he wanted in a long-term lover.

He'd just never been completely sure the tabby did guys.

Now that he was sure, he had to decide if the rest held true, especially wanting to take on the tabby's seemingly insatiable libido.

Jake closed his eyes, bit his lip and rolled out of bed with just his boxers on for the short walk to his partner's room.

He'd known the answer for two years already.

A quick knock was greeted with a quick enough response that Jake knew Chance hadn't been even close to asleep yet. So he opened the door to see his partner just getting up from a night-time set of pushups with a grin.

"What's up?" Chance asked as he wiped excess sweat from his fur with a towel.

"Umm," Jake found himself suddenly uncertain. "Umm, well, I caught that you spent the night with a guy last week," he got out.

"I... yeah," Chance nodded. "A few of them, and girls. That going to be a problem?"

"No," Jake shook his head quickly. "No problem. I ... I was just kinda wondering ... since you did...." his voice drifted off as he struggled to put words to what he wanted. He took a deep breath. "Think I could be more than your partner?"

"You sure you want that?" Chance asked him gently, walking over and brushing his cheek lightly. "I haven't dated long-term in a while."

"I haven't, ever," Jake told him, leaning into the touch. "I know I'm not up to being the only one, you're too horny," he cracked a smiled at the tabby. "But ... would it really change much, other than having a warm bed and somebody to hold most nights? We already live together, work together, do a lot together."

"I know," Chance smiled slightly, wrapping his arms around Jake's shoulders. "And I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. I doubt anyone would notice, either," he added with a chuckle. "I've been fielding taunts about banging your tight ass since the Academy."

"Really?" Jake hesitantly ran his fingers threw the damp fur of his partner's broad chest, then stretched up to kiss him softly as he leaned into the warmth. "Mmm, nice to know it's mutual. How'd you figure out you like guys?"

Chance returned the kiss, rubbing Jake's back lightly.

"Long story involving a late ride home from wrestling practice," Chance chuckled. "Want to sit down?"

"Sure," Jake chuckled, a little giddy that it had gone so smoothly and claimed another kiss, this one longer and a bit more intimate even as they both felt the arousal of the other.

Chance purred, kissing Jake again, giving him a bit of tongue as he pulled Jake towards his bed, sitting down next to him. "So... how about you?" He asked. "When did you realize you were into guys?"

"I always have," Jake chuckled, leaning against his warmth. "Experimented with both sides in my teens and twenties. Something happened in my late twenties, in Traveris I expect, that turned me off girls, and dating in general, for the most part. Lost Day really settled it for me though. Nothing good has ever come from a female for me."

"It'll help if you run into one who isn't psychotic," Chance chuckled. "Maybe some time I'll introduce you to one... so, what do you want tonight?" He asked, kissing Jake tenderly.

"I guess," he murmured and gently pushed the tabby to his back to lie on top of him. "Maybe introduce me to a guy who isn't psychotic and'll be here in the morning?"

"You think I'm psychotic, or that I won't be here?" Chance asked with a teasing lick at his cheek, reaching down to toy with the waistband of Jake's boxers.

"Hopefully not either," Jake purred, shivering slightly at the touch, and the sensation of his half hard cock rubbing against another. "You may be crazy, but you're no psycho," he claimed a long, heated kiss, sliding his tongue into his partner's mouth as his hands slid down Chance's body to his boxers and began to work them down.

"Mmm ... you like to top, or bottom?" Chance purred, kissing him back, lifting his hips to let Jake work his boxers down, his sheath already well to filled out and his cock beginning to peek out.

"Bottom," Jake moaned into Chance's mouth at the contact of their bare sheaths against each other. His breath quickened and caught as Chance's hands ran across his bare ass and the shifting contact as their boxers were discarded.

Chance rolled over on top of him, kissing him deeply.

"Let me know if I'm going too fast," he murmured, reaching down to fondle his partner's balls.

"I will," Jake moaned, then whimpered in arousal and spread his legs as his body responded rapidly to the attention. He tried to pay attention in turn, but the tabby quickly had him too distracted to do much more than enjoy what was happening to him.

"You just want to be fucked, or want me to really top you?" Chance asked, reaching back further to press a finger up against Jake's tight anus, testing it and felt sure his partner got out just as little as he seemed to.

Jake took a moment to focus, and looked at his partner with an utterly bewildered expression that begged for an explanation.

"You just want to get fucked, or you want me to dom you a bit too?" Chance explained, kissing Jake's neck. "I'm not into major dom/sub stuff, but I know some guys like the big buff tabby to 'make' them suck his cock," he rumbled.

"Just fucked," Jake kissed him with a deep purr as he reached down to stroke his partner's cock, playing with the nubs and rubbery barbs.

"Mmm ... glad to oblige," Chance grinned, opening up his nightstand and pulling out a jar of lube. "Y'ever get off just being fingered?" He asked, coating his fingers.

"I don't usually bother with the lube or rest," Jake said, watching with a bit of curiosity at what his partner was up to.

"Well, tonight you will," Chance rumbled, reaching down to slide one finger carefully into Jake's ass. "Feels a lot better than without."

Jake's reply was lost to a moan as he shifted to give the tabby better access, more than willing to let him do pretty much anything he wanted to.

Chance kissed him, working his finger in and out of Jake's body, crooking it up to stroke his prostate when he could. The sharp gasps and way Jake's cock jumped each time made the tabby smile and kiss him. It gave him a feel for how to get him off, and how difficult it would be as he loosened the smaller tom's body.

"Don't get out often, do you?" He murmured.

"No," Jake moaned, his fingers cupping and rolling the tabby's balls around before moving up to stroke his cock. "Don't feel the need often."

"Mmm ... not for you, or don't want it?" He asked, thrusting lightly into Jake's hand as he slowly started to work a second finger in, loving every time his cock twitched at the attention his insides were getting. For a guy that didn't take it often, he was easy to please.

Jake gasped, his hand closing tightly around Chance's cock as the tabby pumped against his prostate again. "Not usually worth the effort to get," he managed to get out, his mind pretty well focused on how close to the edge he was.

"Mmm ... we'll have to see about you getting it more often then," Chance purred deeply. "Love how you respond," he rumbled, kissing Jake deeply as he crooked his fingers up, putting firm pressure on his prostate and milking it, trying to get him off. It didn't take long, just a few moments and Jake cried out sharply, his body going tense and his hips jerking as pearly fluid sprayed from his cock to splash on his chest.

"You are _definitely_ not hard to work with," Chance grinned, pulling his fingers free and licking the seed from Jake's chest before moving down between his legs. "Face to face? Or want me against your back?" He offered, lifting Jake's legs up as the tom took a moment to focus past the pleasant buzz of having just come.

"Mmm, against my back," he decided with a purr and rolled over, offering his ass without hesitation.

"With pleasure," Chance grinned, mounting him, nuzzling his neck and nipping his scruff as he sank his cock into Jake's prepared ass with a low moan, reaching around to stroke the lean tom's cock in time with his thrusts.

About all Jake could do was moan, shiver and whine as the pleasure was pushed upwards again when Chance started thrusting faster, taking Jake's scruff in his jaws, biting down lightly and fucking him hard and deep, shifting to rub his barbed cock against Jake's prostate.

"Oh _gods_!" Jake cried out sharply as his body tightened up again, utterly unwilling to resist this pleasure that went far beyond anything he'd expected, or experienced, without being drugged.

Chance roared as Jake came, his own balls pulling close, spilling his seed deep into Jake's ass, thrusting through his orgasm and continuing past it as the tom under him trembled and shivered, but showed no signs of objecting. He already knew, just from the reactions, that this was the best Jake had ever gotten.


	6. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mornings after are always a little weird, but for these two partners turned lovers, it's more kinky than awkward.

Chance stirred earlier than usual the next morning, wrapping his arms around the warm body next to him in bed. His nose told him it was Jake, and he smiled a bit, grateful to find that it hadn't been a dream.

"Sleep well?" He asked, running his hands down Jake's lean body.

"Yes," he nuzzled the tabby and snuggled a little closer. "Do you do that to all your dates?"

"Only the ones who need it ... and aren't Xanith," Chance chuckled, nuzzling Jake back. "My endurance isn't _that_ good yet," he smirked, kissing Jake's neck and then returning the kiss his partner claimed.

"I guess I needed attention more than I thought," Jake chuckled, running his hands along the broad chest. "Maybe you'll stay home a little more often now too."

"I think I will," Chance rumbled, kissing him again. "No second thoughts then?"

"No," he chuckled and kissed him soundly. "I've been mulling this over for most of three years. I knew it was the right choice if you did guys."

"Too bad you didn't notice earlier," Chance grinned. "You're a fun ride... and it's good to not have to hide anymore, for both of us."

Jake gave him a confused look. "I wasn't hiding."

"I guess you haven't," Chance admitted. "I just never really noticed, myself... probably because you don't go out that often. Still, good that I don't have to hide from you anymore...not that it'd be easy to right now," he teased.

"Not that I could turn you in without outing myself," Jake couldn't help but chuckle and claim a longer, softer kiss. "So is my big lug ready to get out of bed yet?"

"Mmm... we have anywhere to be?" Chance asked with a playful grin.

"Shower, breakfast, that kind of thing," Jake raised an eyebrow, absolutely clueless as to what his partner was suggesting.

"Mmm... you've never gotten a proper wake-up call, have you?" Chance grinned, pushing Jake onto his back and kissing his chest. "Unless you're starving, or want to play around in the shower, I think it's time to fix that."

"Umm, okay," Jake looked a little bewildered, but more than willing to let Chance do what he wanted to.

Chance slipped down, nuzzling Jake's sheath, coaxing his morning wood back to life, fondling his balls. "Just imagine this coming when you're not quite awake yet," he purred, his lips at the tip of Jake's sheath, his rough tongue delving into it for an early taste of the lean tom's cock.

"Ohhhh," Jake let his jaw go slack, rather enjoying the contact that was so very different from his usual morning after a night out. "You'd never wake up that early," he sounded a bit disappointed.

"I can try some time," Chance smirked up at him, licking Jake's head as it poked out of his sheath. "Or maybe I'll just have to give you a good-night kiss some time after I _do_ go out. Of course, you _could_ just get me up early," he winked, swallowing the tip of Jake's stiffening cock.

"Maybe I will," the lean tom groaned, propping his head up to watch his partner go down on him. "Might make you less grumpy in the morning."

"Hard to be grumpy after this," Chance chuckled, focusing his attention back on Jake, bobbing his head up and down his lover's cock, sliding a finger into his ass carefully. He knew the tom liked it, but after last night, even a regular bottom would be a bit sore.

It didn't seem to matter to Jake though. He shifted to give Chance better access and shivered, his cock twitching at the attention. "Yeah, mmm, it would be."

Chance suckled him from tip to sheath, his tail swaying happily above him as he worked his partner's moment, taking him into his throat, working him to the edge and then keeping him there, a teasing grin in his eyes as he looked up to see the blissed out expression on his partner's face.

As much as he tried though, Jake's breath began to catch and his cock leaked a bit too much pre far too soon.

The tabby didn't worry about it just now; he suckled hard, swallowing every drop of Jake's come when he cried out, his cock spasming in Chance's mouth. Chance licked him clean when he was finished, looking up at him with a grin.

"I'm gonna _have_ to work on you, kat," he grinned. "A good one should last at _least_ half an hour, when I'm giving," he winked.

Jake's next sound was a choked exclamation that went with wide eyes. "Damn, kat. I don't usually spend that much time with an entire evening."

"Now you know why I usually top," Chance chuckled, sliding up to snuggle beside him. "Don't worry, I'll work you into it. I just love the way a guy's face looks when he's _right_ there."

"Mmm, I can imagine," he purred and reached down to stroke the tabby's cock. "Up for a little kinkiness when I return the favor?"

"What've you got in mind?" Chance asked him, rumbling in appreciation at the hand on his morning wood.

"You, in a pair of cuffs under the shower while I practice a little on getting this to go down," he purred suggestively, squeezing his hand a bit to emphasize.

"Sure," Chance chuckled, kissing him deeply before rolling off the bed, making a shameless display of his well-muscled body and the cock that had so rocked Jake's world the night before.

"Mmm," Jake purred deeply as he followed, making a quick detour to his room for a pair of cuffs on the way to the oversized, luxurious bathroom with decked out with the finest of everything a R&D superstar's paycheck could buy.

"Really, some days I have to wonder why you keep working," Chance chuckled as he ran the water up as hot as they could both stand.

"The same reason I built my first plane at thirteen, graduated collage at seventeen and shifted from corporate R&D to the Enforcers," Jake chuckled, his skin shivering as it was wetted down by the hot rain. "I want the challenge."

"Mmm ... well, I take my challenge other ways, but I suppose I can sympathize," Chance rumbled. "So, want me cuffed up, or just so I can't use my hands?" He asked, working the hot water into Jake's fur and relishing the arousal and pleasure in his partner's scent.

"Mmm, up," Jake purred, slipping one cuff around the tabby's wrist and letting the other side dangle for him to lock himself into place. "There is something about seeing you stretched out like that that really does it for me."

Chance put his hands up, cuffing himself into place.

"Like this?" He rumbled, testing the hook to make sure it would hold him pretty well if it had to.

"Yesss," Jake shivered and ran his hands down his partner's broad chest before bringing them in to cup his balls and began to trail kisses down the tabby's body, ending with a slow lick from the base of his shaft to the tip.

"Mmm ... you _really_ get off on mixing dom and sub, don't you?" Chance rumbled, working his tail down between Jake's legs.

"Yeah," Jake grinned and turned his tongue to the tabby's balls, testing to see what was liked.

The groan he got in response, especially when he started sucking on them, told him this was _definitely_ on the list.

"Ever give a rimjob before?" Chance asked with a groan of pure enjoyment.

"Not willingly," Jake said before turning his attention to the other side. "Maybe when you start to whimper."

"Mmm... only if you want to," Chance groaned, enjoying the attention as his balls were petted, rolled, licked and sucked on. "No fun if you're not into it."

"We'll see," Jake said before he tried humming around the heavy ball in his mouth.

" _Fuck_ that's good," Chance moaned, spreading his legs further for Jake, his cock at full stiffness, throbbing against his partner's forehead. The tabby's eyes wanted to close at the pleasure, but he wanted to watch his partner take his time giving pleasure more. What little he knew made him expect the blowjob to be fairly quick, probably not that skilled, but earnest.

He'd never expected this to turn into the kind of sexual exploration he had with experienced lovers he spent an entire weekend with.

He was panting by the time Jake got bored and moved to the other ball, leaving the over-sensitized one to his hand.

It was too much for him to hold back through, and he roared in the shower, spraying his seed out and over Jake's face and head, where it was soon washed away from the surprised expression looking up at him.

"That was easier than I expected," Jake chuckled softly, tipping his face up to lick along the still-quivering, rock-hard cock before he shifted up to take it into his mouth, purring deeply around the length.

"What can I say - I'm built for endurance," Chance panted, thrusting instinctively up into Jake's mouth. "Mmm ... you're lucky I'm cuffed," he growled with mock menace.

He felt the chuckle that earned, and moaned deeply as his partner applied some suction and tongue to the efforts of his mouth to get him off again.

"Your mouth as hungry as your ass was last night?" Chance groaned.

Jake let the cock slip from his mouth briefly to answer. "Not quite, but it is fun."

"I'm not gonna complain," Chance grinned down at him. "Mmm ... so, _are_ we gonna get out of the shower any time today?"

"Eventually," Jake grinned up. "For food at least," he added before doing down on his partner.


	7. Meeting Next of Kin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a month of sleeping together firmly cementing their status as boyfriends, at least to the few who get to know, Chance finally introduces Jake to the second most important person in his life.

"So, still up for tonight?" Chance asked Jake with a grin as he brought their jet in for a landing as their shift drew to an end.

"Sure," he chuckled. "I think I can handle a few drinks with your best friend."

"Good," Chance chuckled back. "Y'won't have to worry about getting friendly either; she already knows about us, and we'll be meeting at the Stonewall," he reassured the lean tom as they came in for a perfect landing.

"Cool," he relaxed a bit, grateful to know they'd be going somewhere that being overheard, no matter what was said, wasn't likely to come back and bite them.

"Crazy, not stupid," Chance chuckled, unbuckling after he taxied to put the jet in its bay for maintenance. "Lucky we had a quiet night!" He grinned, popping the cockpit and climbing out.

"As if you don't enjoy it when it's anything but," Jake quipped back and was out of his seat and on the ground with helmet in hand in single, fluid movement.

"Showoff," one of their wingmates teased them both.

"It's the sign of skill," Jake grinned at him as they all made their way to the showers.

"Doesn't hurt that he built the damn thing," one of them mock-grumbled as everybody stripped and showered down with quick efficiency.

"So, anybody want to go to Collin's?" Mary, another of the pilots, asked cheerfully.

"We've already got plans," Chance said, shaking his head. "Double date," he grinned.

"Lucky bastards," Tony, Mary's gunner, chuckled, thumping Chance's shoulder. "No wonder you got tomorrow off though! Seeya in a couple days, if things stay quiet."

"Here's hoping they do," Chance rumbled, heading down to his car along with Jake.

"Big time," Jake agreed, getting into the passenger seat of the sporty coup and relaxed back for the drive. "We going home first, or right to the club?"

"I was thinking to the club," Chance grinned. "Unless you don't want to show up in uniform? Meg's good with it either way," he winked. "And if you wanted to break out your cuffs, we could play around a bit on the way out if it goes well."

"I'd really rather not be in uniform," Jake shook his head. "Not if you want me to talk at least."

"Okay," Chance nodded, mentally kicking himself for not remembering how inhibited the uniform made his partner when it came to socializing. Not that he had much experience, other than _never_ seeing Jake in uniform a minute longer than was required.

The two toms went back to the house they shared, quickly changing into outfits suitable for the bar, and were soon on their way back to the Stonewall Pub in increasingly uneasy silence.

Fortunately, once they were there silence wasn't an issue. Walking inside, the bouncer gave them a look, but just grinned when he recognized Chance.

"Looks like Meg's doin' pretty well," Chance grinned, nodding towards the brown-on-red tabby in her mid-30's chatting with a handsome Tigress. "Come on, let's go rescue her," he chuckled, starting over towards the bar.

"Are you sure she wants to be rescued?" Jake teased him, oblivious to the looks he was getting from several patrons.

"If she wasn't meeting us, I wouldn't be, but...." Chance chuckled, taking a seat nearby and turning to face the two fems.

"Aaaand my friends are here - gimme a call this weekend and we'll see if anything works out," Megan winked at her suitor, who pouted playfully before heading off to find somebody else for the evening. The tabby turned back towards Chance, grinning at him.

"I've gotta come here more often! So, that's your partner?" She asked, looking Jake up and down. "Cute guy," she smiled.

"Yap, this is Jake Clawson," Chance grinned even wider at the blush forming under his partner's fur at her complement.

"I hope he hasn't told you any lies about me," Jake managed a comeback.

"Oh, let's see here, brilliant, cute, brave, kick-ass gunner, still getting Pumadyne trying to re-recruit you... all true?" She asked him with a grin.

"Yep," Chance headed him off. "So, first round's on me?"

"Sounds good," Megan purred, signaling the bartender for another drink. Chance ordered himself a rum and coke, heavy on the coke, and let Jake order his own before they settled in.

"Well, you've met Jake; Jake, this is Megan Treyo, one of my best friends from way back."

"Just back to when your tour ended," she chuckled. "Pleasure to meet you, Jake. What'd you do to get stuck with this big lug?" She grinned.

"I aced the gunner boards as solidly as he did the pilot ones," Jake chuckled and accepted his warm honey ale when the drinks arrived.

"I still don't know how you ended up going into being a pilot," Megan chuckled, shaking her head.

"Physics," Chance smiled. "Not that big a difference, with the way it works in my head. No fair talking about the tabby all night though, you guys are supposed to be meeting each other."

"Fair enough," she smiled. "So, Jake, you want to go first, or should I?"

"Since I know the least here, you two get to talk," Jake chuckled behind a sip of ale. "You have me at quite the disadvantage."

"Fair enough," Megan laughed, taking a sip of her martini. "Well, I'm a shrink, first off - but before you go running off, I've got a full patient list and I'm not looking to make it any bigger. I leave the office behind, unless it's obvious I need to bring it with me."

"You're still on speaking terms with me," Chance pointed out with a chuckle. "You can't be that overbearing about it. Meg and I met when I was coming back from serving in Lothos; I was going through my mandatory counseling with her boss, and we went out a time or two before deciding we made better friends than anything else."

"Heh - yeah, between my profession and Chance being a cop, dating wasn't really a priority either of us could handle," Megan smiled. "Besides, it was nice having somebody we could each talk to without any expectations beyond picking up a bar tab, splitting a meal, and maybe letting a backrub turn into a bit more once in a while."

"Yeah, if you think Enforcers have crappy schedules for dating, you should've seen me when I was still on a beat," Chance chuckled. "At any rate, Meg was one of the few people who stuck around when I was giving up on being a cop - not that I can blame the ones who didn't," he admitted. "You guys want to talk over the details, feel free, just not here," he said, indicating the people who were listening.

"I _will_ hold you to that," Megan pointed out, getting a nod from Chance as he drank his weak drink. "He was a bit of a mess back then, and I helped him keep from going the way too many cops do. He went into the Enforcers, and you can probably tell me more about that process than I could tell you. While all that was going on, I got my doctorate and became a partner at the practice. That cover the basics?"

"Well, you left out the bit about the jackass boyfriend you had when we met, but besides that...." Chance smirked as Megan rolled her eyes.

"Please, don't remind me. I definitely traded up when you trashed him."

"So you aren't on the Enforcer payroll anymore?" Jake asked the most important thing to him.

"Technically, I never was," she explained. "The firm was an outside one; we had a contract with the Enforcers, but we weren't part of the agency. Now, there's no question about it - I work in the civilian division, by choice. It's one thing to know that you might have to talk a patient out of doing something drastic, but after a while... well, it just got to the point where _my_ mental health required the change."

"It's that common?" Jake asked quietly, visibly unsettled by it.

"I was working mostly with Enforcers who'd come off the front lines," she pointed out gently. "And about ten years ago, at that. Enforcers serving on the home front aren't a problem, but infantry coming home from Lothos during the last war? That was _ugly_ , for a lot of us."

"I heard about it; never realized it was all that and more," he murmured with a new respect in his eyes for his partner. "I was too valuable in R&D to draft for the front line."

"Well, I went and volunteered, myself," Chance chuckled grimly. "I got out of it pretty well... any bad feelings I had about what I did were pretty much cancelled out by the fact that the folks I was shooting at were shooting back, and not always at the combatants. See a couple medics or unarmed priests go down, and it does a lot for guilty feelings about shooting the guy who's actually carrying a gun. Besides, Jake, the work guys like you did saved a lot more lives than anything _I_ did out there," he pointed out.

"Chance is right ... on both issues," Megan offered. "But yeah, a lot of Lothos vets were real wrecks when they came home. A guerrilla war is an entirely different situation than the last Megawar was. A lot more paranoia came home from that one. Survivor's guilt is bad, but mix it with flashbacks, paranoia, and drug-related problems that usually developed to cope with it all, and it gets _really_ ugly," she sighed. "But, I'm not dealing with it anymore, and most of the vets are doing a lot better now that the folks around here are recognizing just how nasty it was," she said, finishing her drink. "The Ferals did a lot for that," she said respectfully. "And for improving vet's services after that."

"A lot of them where in the middle of it, as I heard," Jake nodded. "I don't think a month went by that didn't see a Feral in the casualty lists, dead or injured," he took a breath and shook himself. "On to better topics...." he struggled to find one.

"How about you?" Megan asked gratefully as her martini was refreshed. "You must have been something else to get a waiver for R&D work that young."

"Still am," he managed a smile that hinted at the pride he had in his accomplishments that he tended to keep well-buried. "I built my first jet design at thirteen, graduated college with degrees in mechanical, electrical and aeronautical engineering by seventeen. The Mark 1 Raven is one of my babies. So's the Barracuda light assault boat and the MBR-66 blaster rifle. Chance has probably told you what I've done to our current jet."

"Sent business my way from burned out repairmen," she smirked. "Trying to figure out what the Hell you did to her. I told him I wouldn't take the cases," she winked. "So how come you're an Enforcer? Must've been a Hell of a pay cut."

"It was, not that I notice much," he admitted. "Royalties from what I developed on my own will pay very well for the next couple decades even if I don't build anything else. But I went in for the challenge. Design work was getting dull. I wanted something new."

"Why did you pick being a gunner though, rather than research?" She asked him, cocking her head slightly. "I mean... it sounds like you'd have had a brilliant career at MASA, or in any of a dozen fields, and been challenged too."

"Mom has MASA," he shook his head. "Probably my sis too in a year or two. But a gunner; because it _is_ different, radically different, but still had a hand in what I was doing before. Maybe a little bit of wanting to see my birds in action. Mostly, well, I'll still be a brilliant designer in ten or twenty years, but I couldn't do anything like this when I'm older. That job will still be there when I get my fill of being a good guy."

"Best reason I've heard in a long time," she smiled, raising her glass to him. "So, the rest of your family is in science too?"

"Of some kind, if you include design work like mine," he nodded. "And thank you," he smiled warmly at her, leaving no doubt that approval still meant a tremendous amount to him. "It probably gave me an advantage, and a natural inclination towards R&D, in the beginning. It didn't hurt any the mom had an income that could indulge my work and collage either."

"Always helpful," she smiled. "My dad worked double shifts for years putting my sisters and I through college; I think he was frustrated enough at not having any sons that he wanted to make sure his daughters made up for it," she chuckled. "You're still close to your family?"

"Not really," he said, thinking about it. "I mean, we're on good terms and all, but I don't visit often."

"Maybe we'll fix that at Yule," Chance offered with a smile. "I seem to remember we got an invitation last year," he chuckled.

"Which we would have gone to, if we hadn't been called back," Jake rolled his eyes in annoyance at it. "As long as your family doesn't mind."

"Ugh, _not_ going to be an issue," Chance said, rolling his eyes.

"You never gave him the rant, huh?" Megan chuckled. "Chance's family is split between the old hippies who can't stand him for being a soldier, cop, and Enforcer, and the old conservative types who can't stand him for not being ashamed when he was caught with a teammate once."

"Not that _he_ wasn't," Chance muttered. "At any rate, that's water under the bridge - there's a reason I don't take family time very often."

"Fair enough," Jake nodded. "Hopefully you'll get along better with mine. I have no idea how they'll take the gay thing, but mom's usually pretty accepting, as long as I don't get hurt."

"Well, I won't let them know about fucking you in the showers," Chance winked, grinning when Jake turned a bright red.

"Ooh, hopefully you won't mind if I watch some time?" Megan teased with a grin. "Or join in? He is _so_ cute when he's embarrassed."

"Oh, I know," Chance purred and leaned forward seductively, already knowing a few ways to get right to Jake's cock. "You should see him when he's so into it that he forgets where he is. It's an incredible look."

"Have you seen yourself?" Jake managed a comeback. "Or that all it takes to get him off is sucking his balls," he glanced at Megan.

"Mmm ... haven't tried that for a while," she grinned. "So, wanna double-team him some time?"

Even knowing she was who Chance hoped would be the 'not psycho chick' for him to fool around with, such a blatant come-on took him completely off guard and he rocked back in his seat to hide behind his drink for a brief moment to compose himself.

"Sorry," she giggled. "You really aren't used to playing around that much, are you?"

"He's used to one-night stands," Chance chuckled. "Hey," he offered, tossing some cash on the bar, "why don't we take this back home, where we've got the good stuff? If anything happens, it happens - if it doesn't, we call you a cab to run you home?" He offered.

"If it's okay with you," she smiled at Jake.

"Sure," he nodded and quickly finished his ale. "You can crash at our place too, if you brought your car."

"Mmm... if you don't mind driving, sure," she grinned. "But I am _definitely_ not legal anymore," she giggled, finishing her third drink since they'd arrived as Chance polished off his first one.

"Don't worry," Chance chuckled. "She's playful when she's drunk, but she's not _that_ drunk, either. I've seen her smashed, and she's nowhere near it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jake chuckled and followed her out to her sporty red compact. "Keys?" he held his hand out to her.

"Here you go," she said, tossing them to him over the roof of the car after unlocking it. "So, Chance ever let you drive?" She asked him with a grin.

"You kidding me?" he laughed and got in. "I swear he'd drive my bike for me if he could figure out how."

"That's Chance," she snickered, buckling in. "Well, feel free to enjoy yourself," she smiled. "And to ask me any questions you had you didn't wanna bring up with the tabby around," she offered, resting her hand on his thigh lightly as he started the car.

"I'm really more curious about what he's told you about me, and why he wanted us to meet," he said as he pulled into traffic behind Chance's car.

"Well, he told me that you haven't had much in the way of good experiences with fems," she admitted. "And that he was hoping we might be able to get around to being friends, so maybe I could show you my _entire_ gender isn't psychotic," she winked. "And he wanted to try and get two of his best friends together," she added with a smile. "His family doesn't do much for him, so I think he kinda likes to treat his friends like family."

"It's pretty common among Enforcers, I've noticed," Jake nodded. "The whole unit mentality translates to friends are family pretty well. But ... why'd he go from grunt to cop to pilot? It seems kinda an career odd path."

"He's a good guy," she smiled fondly, leaning back in her seat, making an unconsciously attractive display of her lean body that was not missed. "Chance volunteered out of a mix of patriotism and wanting to help people. Picked the right war to do it in, didn't he?" She chuckled darkly. "How much did he tell you about his career in Lothos?" She asked him.

"What he said at the bar," Jake said quietly. "I never asked much. I don't even know what he did there," he blinked in surprise at it dawned on him. "Neither of us are much on talking about the past. I don't like sounding like I'm bragging, and getting to skip the war, and I don't think he has much he likes to talk about."

"It doesn't bother him too much, most of the time," Megan reassured him. "It turned out that Chance was the best shot in his unit, and then some. Don't know if you ever heard of Red Cloud, but that was Chance at work. He got a brevet promotion and was transferred to being a sniper for the rest of his tour. When it was over, he came home to MKC and left the Enforcers to join the MKPD. At the time, he figured it was the best way to actually help people out, on the street. SWAT was handy from time to time, but he wanted to be making a difference every day."

"Damn, how the hell'd he end up a _pilot_?" Jake's jaw dropped at his partner's sniper name. " _I'm_ not that good."

"That comes back to what happened when he was a cop," Megan explained. "You remember what things were like back then? A lot of vets, not all of them stable, a _lot_ of them unemployed, coming back to a city full of loudmouths who thought they were murderers. Well, MKPD was pretty overwhelmed, even with bringing some of those vets into the force. Some of them, including Chance, decided that the city was going to Hell and that somebody had to change the way things were going fast.

"They had a Lieutenant backing them up, and they took to calling themselves Omega Force. They'd ID people they felt were menaces to society and take them out, permanently, whether or not they could actually find enough proof to convict them. Chance didn't go as far as some of them did; he only took down known murderers, rapists, and the like who'd managed to get off somehow.

"But once he got his blinders off and saw what the rest of Omega Force was like... that was when things got bad," she sighed. "The rest of them would apprehend an armed robber and execute him on the spot. Some of them even took out any bystanders, so nobody could testify. Chance just about snapped, started drinking heavily. I managed to get him to talk to me before he killed himself, and he told me all about it. I convinced him to take his information to Commander Feral, and Omega Force was broken up. They kept the prosecutions quiet, and the Lieutenant... Carlson, I think his name was... managed to get away before he could be arrested."

"Holly crap," Jake couldn't stop himself from saying.

"Yeah," she nodded. "As I understand it, Chance got immunity for turning the others in, at Feral's insistence, and he was brought on to the Enforcers in exchange for Feral's word that he wouldn't end up in SWAT or being a gunner. Chance was a little burned out on drawing a bead on a target, at that point," she pointed out. "He became a pilot because, as he put it, figuring out how to put a plane where you want it wasn't that much different from figuring out how to put a bullet where you want it."

"Except you tend not to do the killing," Jake finished, his world well and truly turned inside out by the last few minutes. "Damn, I really have been sheltered from that end of things," he muttered, shaking his head. "All the crap I dealt with was on foreign soil. I really didn't know it was like that here."

"It hasn't been, for a long time," she told him. "Not that seriously, at least. Besides... that's all filtered through Chance's memories," she pointed out. "And a few of the other Omega Force members. They're not exactly the most unbiased folks to talk to on that subject. But at any rate, like you said, you tend not to do the killing as a pilot. I'm sure Chance is fine in combat, he'd have to be to serve, but I don't think I'd want to rely on him being able to pull the trigger himself."

"He's rock-solid in combat." Jake said softly but firmly. "He can, and has, pulled the trigger, but it wasn't anybody's first choice. I just wasn't in any shape to do it myself at the time and he had to get us out of a bad spot."

"Good," she nodded. "I just wasn't sure... it's hard to tell how _anybody_ will respond to that sort of thing. So... how about you?" She asked, hoping to shift the topic. "You said something about trouble on foreign soil?"

"Yeah," he shuddered involuntarily. "Back when I was doing design work. I'm told I have a real talent for understanding what a client wanted, even when they barely did, and then creating it. So I was sent to most of the more difficult clients, all over the world for four different companies and a few times as a private contract. I've been katnapped, assaulted for being a foreigner, and a couple times a local VIP somewhere decided I might be worth the trouble to keep as a pet. It's all kind of part of the job when you do what I did and my employers always got me out. It was all just part of the job, part of why I got paid as much as I did, up until Traveris. I don't remember much, only that the accent on a female Caracal is enough to make me bolt in full uniform."

"Have you ever tried therapy for it?" She offered. "I'm just wondering if you have; I imagine it's been a problem for you a few times, and probably pisses you off."

"Pretty much every time it comes up," he shrugged, the tip of his tail betraying how annoyed he really was. "It's standard procedure for the companies I worked for after every incident, and the Enforcers sent me _right_ to the shrink when I freaked out during an inspection by a visiting Traveran VIP," his ears flattened unconsciously. "They already knew I couldn't handle them well, but even I was surprised when it wasn't threatening to start with. The only problem is professional, and command makes a point of keeping me out of the way when one of them shows up now."

"I'll bet... is it just a problem with Traverans, or fems in general?" She asked him.

"Just Traverans, really," he said. "Maybe female Caracals. It really isn't something I've worried about," he glanced at her briefly. "Chance said I do one night stands, except for him. Did he tell you just how rarely I feel the urge to get laid?"

"Every few months, though you haven't had that happen since you've been sleeping together," she nodded slightly. "So you wouldn't really know if it was getting in the way in the bedroom?"

"Closer to once or twice a year," Jake told her. "And it's never been hard to pick up a guy I liked the looks of. So no, I don't know if it'll be an issue. I haven't tried to be with a female on my own for the last couple decades. And I doubt I'll ever go out again," he chuckled a bit. "That tabby is more than enough for me."

"He is for most people," she giggled, rubbing his leg lightly with her hand. "If y'wanna find out without having to perform for Chance, we could pull over somewhere out of the way," she offered with a low purr.

He glanced at her, trying to figure out if she really just wanted it that badly, or something else. Her scent said she was aroused enough, but not that horny.

"I'd rather be with him," he said with an open apology in his tone. "It'll keep things from doing too badly no matter what happens."

"Okay," she smiled. "Just offering," she reassured him, leaning over to lick his cheek. "You're good for him, you know."

"Nice to know," Jake smiled warmly, and a little shyly. "As a partner, or lover?"

"Both, I think," she giggled. "It's nice to actually still know who he's talking about between conversations," she grinned.

"He does do the girl of the day thing pretty well," Jake admitted with a grin of his own as they neared the apartment complex he lived in. "Though I seemed to have slowed him down a bit."

"Just as well," she smirked. "The rate he was going, he was gonna have to start doubling up before he had to settle down with somebody. This your place?" She asked, looking at the large buildings.

"Our apartment is the top floor," he nodded and pulled into the underground parking of the building. "It was expensive, but well worth it."

"Bet the bedroom is something else," she giggled as he parked next to Chance's sports car. "You want me to take the couch tonight?" She asked him seriously. "If things don't go real well?"

"Nah," he shook his head and got out. "There's a spare bedroom that can be put together in a few minutes. It was Chance's, but he doesn't use it anymore."

"As long as you're not going to be forced to have me in your room if you don't want me," she smiled, climbing out herself, a little wobbly on her feet when she tried to get up. She found a hand on her arm and a supportive side to lean against faster than she realized was possible.

"I thought Chance said you weren't drunk yet," Jake teased her, guiding her to the elevator where the tabby was waiting for them.

"He said I wasn't _totally_ drunk yet," she giggled.

"When she really gets going, you can just about pour her out of her dress," Chance grinned. "I should know," he winked.

"Just because you got me to do things I'd never done before, doesn't mean a thing - it was a graduation gift," she giggled, kissing his cheek playfully. "So, why don't we get inside somewhere safe?"

"Sure," the tabby grinned and thumbed the access pad for the penthouse apartment. "You must be slipping though. Smells like you didn't even try to fool around," he teased.

"She did, just wasn't ready for me," Jake chuckled low in his throat and shifted to claim a long, passionate kiss from his lover than just about melted all three of them. "What hope did she have, when you were waiting for me?" he rumbled seductively.

"Mmm... there _is_ that," Chance purred, stepping into their apartment when it opened up. "So, show off the bedroom, or your favorite room in the place?" He teased lightly.

"What's that?" Megan giggled.

"The bathroom - you wouldn't believe how much he sunk into it," Chance grinned.

"A guy has to relax," Jake countered with a wink. "Since she wanted to see you get off without anything touching your cock, the bathroom."

"No complaints here," Chance grinned, leading the way.

"Holy crap," Megan blurted out when she stepped into the land of fine marble, heated floors, glass and luxury that she had barely dreamed of. "I've seen pictures of _palaces_ that weren't this fine!"

"Now you're exaggerating," Jake blushed despite his grin. "But I do like the water."

"I'll bet," she murmured.

"C'mon, let's get in that shower," Chance purred, starting to strip down to show off his hard body and already hard cock.

"Oh yeah," Jake purred, taking in the sight as he stripped down and grabbed the pair of cuffs that now lived in the bathroom.

"Who are those for?" Megan asked with a grin, sliding out of her tight jeans, taking her panties off along with them to let her scent mix with the building arousal of the two males.

"The tabby," Jake winked, slipping on side on as he claimed a hungry kiss while the water heated.

"M-mm," Chance rumbled and stepped under the hot rain of water and cuffed himself with his hands over his head under it. "He gets off on mixing dom and sub up."

"I'll be it makes for a sexy show," she grinned, sitting on the edge of the whirlpool tub while Jake explored his mate's body. "Any time you're ready!"

"Any time you are," Chance purred, kissing Jake hotly as they rubbed their bodies together.

"Impatient creature, aren't you?" Jake snickered and kissed him again before trailing a line of kisses down the broad chest and powerful abs.

"Mmm... hey, I've got plans for tonight," Chance grinned down at him, rumbling as one of his balls was licked and the other fondled. "Meg on no-touch rules, or can she play around with you a bit while you show off?"

"She can play," Jake said before drawing the orb he was licking into his mouth.

"Mmm ... just so you know, he doesn't like rimming," Chance warned her, groaning as Jake sucked on his ball lightly.

"I'll keep it in mind," she purred, watching the show for now, rubbing her clit lightly while Jake caused his lover to moan and whine, the tabby's cock twitching in time with the efforts of his lover's tongue and mouth.

To her eyes, it was pretty clear that Jake was well on his way to getting off on this too. Maybe not enough to come, but she knew a tom who enjoyed what he was doing when she saw one.

Her purr deepened as she saw just how much Chance _was_ getting off on this little twist she'd never bothered with. Of course, most people the tabby slept with were interested in his cock, more than what was around it, but watching the contortions his face was going through was worth it.

Only a month together, and Jake had already learned something that she didn't know. It made her feel all the better about them being a couple despite the risks to their future if it was learned about by the wrong people.

"So, do you always top him, or do you two switch it around?" She asked Chance as he began to pant.

"Nnn, I always top," he moaned, his eyes fixed on the tom kneeling in front of him as his cock quivered from the attention.

"Damn, you really _do_ enjoy this," she grinned, moving around behind Jake to get a better view, her fur quickly getting soaked down as she knelt and slid her hand between Jake's legs to fondle the cinnamon-furred tom's balls lightly.

"Oh yeah," Chance whimpered, his body tightening as his balls pulled up. "Gods he's good too."

"Maybe I'll talk him into giving me a sample," she grinned, her fingertips sliding up Jake's shaft, drawing a deep, resonating purr from the lean tom. "Mmm ... he like getting it all over him when you come?"

"Not much," Chance answered, his voice as tight as his body.

"Then I'll take it for him," she grinned, opening her mouth as Chance roared, catching his pearly seed and swallowing it, standing to lean over Jake and taking his tip in her mouth as he lost some of the energy that had his first few spurts reaching her.

"Damn, you two are going to be the death of me," Chance grinned weakly as he panted, shuddering as Jake continued to fondle his balls and Megan shifted back to her haunches.

"Not before I get some of that in me," Jake grinned and stood to kiss his mate, running his hands along the hard, muscular body. "Bed, or tub?"

"Mmm ... bed, I think," Chance grinned. "Somebody hit the driers, then let's go figure out space."

"Jake sandwich, maybe?" Megan suggested with a grin of her own, standing and nipping his scruff playfully as he flipped the water off and the air blowers on. " _I_ think he looks good enough to eat, and it'd be a shame to let his cock go without any attention."

"You won't find any complaints from me," Jake winked at her even as Chance used the attached key to unlock the cuffs and brought his arms down to pull his lover close and kiss him hard. 

"Wanna put on a show for the tabby before we go to bed?" Megan whispered playfully into Jake's ear as his lips parted from Chance's, her hand wrapping around his front to stroke his rigid cock.

"Mmm, that was kinda what I had in mind," Jake purred and leaned back against her slightly, giving them nearly full body contact for a moment before he pulled away to dry his back. "We should get our turn before he gets a second round."

"Good," she purred, driving herself off before kissing him, reaching down to stroke his cock. "Want inside me, or like this?"

Jake thought a moment as he finished drying off, then licked his whiskers. "On your back, on the bed," he purred before claiming a kiss and sliding his fingers along the swollen lips of her sex.

"Mmm ... you're gonna make me decide what view I want most, aren't you?" Chance grinned, heading into the master bedroom as Megan purred hotly, kissing Jake again before they all retired to the master bedroom. The slender tabby fem lay on her back, legs spread, fingers down to splay the swollen lips of her sex.

"Yep!" She grinned at Chance. "So, like this?" She asked Jake as he knelt on the king sized bed over her, more than hard enough to sate her.

"Oh yeah," he rumbled and kissed her before trailing kisses down her body in much the same way he had treated Chance easier.

"Mmm ... if you're gonna use your mouth, then turn around and lemme at that cock of yours," she grinned down at him, flicking her tail up between his legs to tease his balls.

"You're in too much of a hurry," he chuckled as he worked his way to her navel. "Relax."

"I didn't rush you at all while you were playing with the tabby," she smirked down at him, purring deeply as his attentions started her arousal building to serious levels. She moaned as his tongue caressed her sex from edge to edge, then swirled around her clit until it had swollen fully and stood hard, erect and slick.

"That's more like it," Jake kissed his way back up her body before he sank into her with a groan of his own.

"Oh yes," she moaned, drawing his face close to kiss him hungrily, squeezing down around this shaft as Chance moved on the bed to get a god view of Jake's shaft spearing her sex, their tails twining together lightly as their bodies slid against each other.

"You like tasting come?" Jake asked her, his breath already panting.

"Not as much as getting it inside me," she purred throatily, nipping his shoulder lightly, arousal building between her legs. "Go ahead, baby, don't hold back," she panted, the walls of her sex trembling with anticipation as he thrust.

It was about all it took to push Jake over the edge and he came hard with a yowl, grunting on each thrust as he pumped his come into her with abandon. She mewled as she came with him, her juices squirting out around his cock as his seed filled her sex.

" _Damn_ that's hot," Chance purred, sliding up on top of the two of them. "So, who wants to be in the middle?" He purred.

"Well?" Jake looked down, finding both possibilities pretty hot.

"Let's see if you both fit inside me," she grinned, kissing him lightly.

"You know we will," Chance teased, shifting so they could roll over beneath him, sliding his hard cock in alongside Jake's with a groan at the intense tightness and feeling his lover's cock confined next to his.

"Oh _gods_ ," Jake whimpered, shuddering under Megan at the intensity that made his hard cock quiver and nearly bring him to the edge of coming a second time right on the heals of the first.

"Oooh... tight fit, but I like it," she moaned, kissing him deeply as Chance started thrusting, his textured shaft rubbing along Jake's cock, pushing it up into her g-spot as she whimpered and moaned between them.

Jake was more than willing to let his partner set the pace and do most of the work; for him it was almost too much and he squeezed his eyes shut as his body hovered on the edge of coming but held back by how soon it had been.

The expression on Jake's face, the feel of their bodies quivering around him, it all went together to put Chance right on the edge, and he roared as he filled Meg's body with his seed, much of it spilling out to dribble down her sex and onto Jake's balls.


	8. The New Mechanic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Black Knights meet their new mechanic, he's more than a little surprised to realize that the Kat he's been looking for for year is on the squad.

"Black Knights! Atten-hu!" Major Kathie 'Rumble' Firetail bellowed to get the attention of her entire crew in the busy hanger where they were all preparing for another shift of patrols. "Gather round, kids!" she called out when she had their attention.

Despite the fact that the tiger-striped, cat-clawed brindle Wolf standing next to her was far larger than she was, the chocolate brown with flame red hair and tail commanded the world around her with sharp hazel eyes and a manner than broke no argument. She watched her crew, nine pilots, eight other gunners and nearly a score of support personnel, gather around her with curious looks at the silent, proud and stiff Kantin in his coverall uniform.

"Everybody knows we are getting a new mechanic for the squad," she intoned, her voice carrying easily in the busy hanger. "This is Lance Corporal Durnan. He has transferred from motorcycle maintenance to us. Duran, this is my crew. My head of maintenance is Staff Sergeant Silvertip."

"Good to see you made it all the way up," the silver-point Siamese shekat stepped up and offered her hand to him.

"Thank you, Staff Sergeant," he said, shaking her hand, dwarfing it with the size of his own. "Good to have made it up," he said with a smile, meeting her eyes before looking over the rest of the flight team.

While he did his best to cover his reaction to the short, lean cinnamon tom among them, he knew he didn't do nearly a good enough job.

"You've met Clawson before?" Firetail asked him.

"We've met," he nodded. "Maybe we can catch up a bit after the shift," he offered.

"Urr, okay, sure," Jake nodded, though it was hard to miss that he didn't recognize the striped Wolf nearly as readily as he'd been recognized. "Welcome to the squad. You'll find us a lot more challenging than the bikes."

"Mostly because of him," someone snickered.

"Don't worry, I did my research," Durnan grinned back. "Wouldn't be working on the inventor's birds if I didn't think I could keep up with his tinkering."

"You'll be one of the few, if you can," Silvertip grinned at him. "He has to do half the maintenance on Black Sun himself."

"Well, after tonight's patrol we can see if he can keep up," Firetail chuckled. "Let's get in the air, Knights!" She told them, turning to head for her own jet and leave Durnan to get familiar with their maintenance bay.

Chance waited until they were in the relative privacy of their jet, doing the pre-flight checks with the radio off to ask what was on his mind the most.

"So ... who is he?"

"I'm not sure," Jake admitted. "He looks kinda familiar, but I can't place him."

"I'd be surprised if he didn't," Chance chuckled. "Not like there are that many Tiger-Wolves out there, and I think that's what he is from the look of him."

"Most likely," Jake nodded, running the last of his checks. "It's unusual for me to not remember where I saw someone before, especially somebody that unusual."

"One of your one-nighters, maybe?" Chance suggested, starting the engines. "You didn't seem that interested in remembering who they were."

"If he was, I'd be surprised he recognized me," Jake said without contesting the idea. "I'm a lot less distinctive, and it's been a year since I went out."

"True," Chance nodded. "Well, maybe you knew him in the Academy or at school and forgot about it or something. Seems like a nice enough guy."

"Might have been a convention or something too," Jake kind of rambled, still trying to work it out even though he had a feeling it was the first suggestion. "I see so many people, and when I'm a presenter, a lot of folks feel like they know me even without an introduction."

"Heh - groupie, huh?" Chance chuckled. "Well, maybe you can check with him after our shift, he seems interested."

"I will," Jake told him. "If nothing else, I'll have to spend a few hours with him going over the mods. Sounds like you're going to be on your own tonight."

"I think I'll deal," Chance smirked. "See you tomorrow, or just expect you to be coming back later?"

"I should be home, just late," Jake chuckled. "They don't let me mod this lady _that_ much."

"Yeah, but I know how you are when you start talking shop, and most of the gearheads are just as bad," Chance chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, just use your old room if you bring a girl home," Jake laughed easily before they fell silent for the g-forces of launch. 

* * *

"You really have done a lot with her," Kip Durnan said appreciatively as he and Jake both climbed out of the body of Jake's jet early in the morning. "I think I'll be able to handle her though... you willing to give me a chance?"

"Yes," Jake nodded, wiping the grease from his hands. "I think I will. You seem to be able to follow it well enough, and I wouldn't mind the extra hours off."

"Time to work on your private projects, eh?" He grinned, wiping his own hands clean, giving the cinnamon-furred tom a looking over while he was distracted. Handsome as ever. "By the way, name's Kip; I'm not that worried about formalities, when I don't have to be."

"Neither am I," Jake cracked a smile at him. "Name's Jake," he offered his hand. "You'll find some officers are freaks about rank, but most of this squad isn't. We've got too many that came through the enlisted ranks to cop too much of an attitude."

"One of the reasons I wanted in here, besides the chance to work on your birds," Kip grinned.

That raised an eyebrow. "Most mechanics hate my birds. Something about being so bleeding edge they don't follow physics anymore."

"Yeah, but they still have bolts and bits like everything else," Kip chuckled. "I attended your lecture at MKCU a few months back, and I wanted to get a closer look at how you make the principles actually work out in the field."

"Wanna see the real thing then?" Jake grinned, his amber eyes sparkling with mischief and pride.

"Love to, if it's not classified," Kip grinned back. "Your lab here?"

"Nah, though I bet they wish it was," Jake laughed and started to walk to the officer's changing rooms. "It's what I build for myself, or to make a few extra dollars on the side. I have a workshop and hanger out at Katilia Field."

"Cool - meet you there for a field trip?" The Tiger-Wolf offered, pausing before he crossed into where even he knew was not for Enlisted like him.

"If you hang out, maybe we could take yours?" Jake paused at the door, the place all but abandoned in the middle of the night shift. "Chance has the one I came in."

"Sure, no problem," Kip nodded easily, his tail wagging. "You two carpool?"

"Yeah," Jake nodded before disappearing into the officer's changing rooms, leaving Kip to kill a bit of time while the gunner cleaned up and changed into his street clothes.

He started out by changing into his own civvies, making sure he wasn't too greasy before dressing up again, hoping his half-swollen sheath didn't show beneath his jeans. With any luck he'd get another chance to take care of that tonight... he'd just have to start feeling Jake out a little more aggressively, see if he didn't remember him or if he was just playing it safe at work.

When he entered the hall, he found Jake waiting for him with a small tote bag over his shoulder, dressed in tight jeans and a quality collared shirt.

"Ready to go?" the tom asked with a grin.

"Ready and willing," Kip grinned back, leading the way out to the parking garage. "I've done a little tinkering of my own, by the way, though nothing like your work. Mostly hot-rodding it," he chuckled, opening the door of the black SUV he drove.

"BTBR?" Jake asked after glancing at the vanity plate on his way to the passenger side with the ease of one who was well accustomed to it.

"Born to be ronin," he chuckled, earning another raised eyebrow. "Got tagged with that during high school, after the third alpha got sick of dealing with me. I handle authority just fine, but I didn't take well to guys who thought not being Alpha meant you weren't worth anything." He climbed into the driver's seat, starting the car and pulling out. "So I got tagged a born ronin - I've turned it around pretty well, I think."

"I'd say so. Ronin and Enforcer are not titles that tend to mix well. So you take after Wolf more than Tiger?" Jake asked conversationally, honestly a bit curious. "Or is it the Tiger coming out there?"

"Mostly with that," he explained. "My Dad was a Tiger who came to MKC for school, met my Mom and they hit it off. They split up a few years after I was born, but I still had enough Tiger in me that I'm not as fixated on the pack as most Wolves are."

"And have looks that set you apart at least as much, I expect," Jake observed, looking him over again. "Couldn't have been easy growing up."

"That wasn't as much trouble as preferring guys," Kip chuckled lowly. "Not that anybody knew, but not being interested in girls got me some trouble."

"I thought only an Alpha got to have a girlfriend?" Jake glanced at him, his expression a bit surprised.

"He is, but when you're a lone Wolf, you can end up being _real_ popular with Kantin girls, especially shewolves trying to sneak around and get some on the side."

"Ah," Jake nodded as he relaxed in the passenger seat, watching the city go by. "Teenage hormones. It wasn't something I had to deal with much."

"Lucky you," Kip chuckled. "Not that I can't appreciate fems at all, but I _much_ prefer a cute guy like you," he rumbled.

"Umm," Jake shot a sideways glance at him, his decidedly interested body language completely at odds with his suddenly uneasy expression. "I'm ... not really available, Kip."

"Hooked up with somebody during the last year?" The hybrid asked, his ears drooping a little bit.

"Yeah," Jake nodded even as he filed the 'where I met him' under 'he fucked me'. "If you'd rather drop me off here, I can get home on my own," he offered uncertainly.

"Hey, I'm still interested in your work," Kip smiled over at him. "Anybody I know?" He asked as they kept going towards the edge of town.

"Probably," Jake nodded, trying to relax again.

"Exclusive arrangement, at least as far as guys go?" He pried for more information. While he understood full well why Jake was probably uneasy about the subject and not bringing his lover into it by name, it was no less annoying. He wanted to get Jake thinking sexy thoughts, to get as hard and hungry as possible. He never imagined it would be this difficult, given how quickly Jake had dropped his pants when they first met.

The question visibly startled Jake, and he took a moment to work out how to answer it.

"Not really, I'm just not interested in seeing anyone else. He's more than enough for me."

"Fair enough," Kip nodded. "Not used to having people interested in you, are you?" He chuckled.

"Not really," Jake admitted. "Really not used to having to notice it. Most days I can leave the whole concept and not miss it. You met me on that night once or twice a year when I really want to get laid."

Well, this was definitely a wrinkle Kip hadn't been expecting... he'd have to change how he went about this a bit. At least Jake wasn't refusing he did like guys at least.

"At work, I suppose it would," Kip nodded. "For what it's worth, you really are attractive," he smiled. "Your guy's a lucky tom... does your partner know?"

"Yeah," Jake couldn't hide the small smile and chuckle. "There isn't much he doesn't know. Secrets between pilot/gunner teams aren't good if you want the top slots. It takes trusting him with a lot more than my life to do our job as well as we do. My preferences in bed are nothing compared to what he already knew."

"Well, at least you don't have to hide it from him... it's the one part of being Enforcer that I could really do without," Kip admitted. "Not that there's much way around it yet."

"Yeah," Jake agreed as they pulled into the airfield. "That part sucks. It's a lot better than a was a couple generations back though. At least it's not a crime anymore."

"There is that," Kip nodded, pleased that Jake seemed to have settled down from the almost ready to bolt look he'd had before. "Not enough done about the folks who think it should be yet, but we're getting there."

"Big social changes like that take time," Jake said with a sigh. "Hanger 5," he pointed towards one of the smaller ones, though it was still large enough, Kip figured, to hold at least two corporate jets.

"All yours?" Kip asked as he pulled up by the hangar, climbing out of the car and looking it over.

"Yap," Jake said as he got out. "I've been building here since I was fifteen."

"Just how long ago did you get started?" Kip asked, clearly impressed with the information.

Jake did a quick bit of math in his head as he unlocked the door with a palm scanner. "Thirty-five, thirty-seven years. I built my first jet design at thirteen, but I was working on them before that."

"Man, you _did_ get started young," Kip chuckled, following him inside after the door opened. "I was just starting algebra at that age."

"Yeah, I come from a family of academic overachievers," Jake chuckled and opened the door. "Moms a literal rocket scientist, I graduated collage with three degrees at seventeen, my little sister is following suit, though a bit slower. She had the nerve to have a life," he winked. "Good morning, Sara," he called out as the lights came on, revealing a facility far more advanced than the Enforcer hanger Kip had spent the evening and morning in.

"Good morning, Jake," a light, slightly mechanical female voice greeted him in return from somewhere not even Kip's sensitive ears could work out. "Who is your companion?"

"This is Kip Durnan," Jake said, closing the door behind the large Kantin. "Kip, that disembodied voice is Sara, an early AI that helps me out and keeps an eye on things when I'm gone."

"Hello, Kip," she greeted him. "Welcome to my home and Jake's workshop."

"Uhm... hi, Sara," Kip said, looking around at the two jets, one finished military model and an unfinished corporate jet. "Your projects?" He asked Jake.

"The TurboKat's my personal craft, though Chance flies her more than I do these days," Jake nodded as he walked over, has hand caressing the sleek black fuselage with real affection. "It's what we would fly on patrol if they'd let us. That one's basically supplemental income, and to keep my name circulating a bit while I'm not working in the industry."

"The Enforcers looking at using her any time soon?" Kip asked, focusing on the radar-reflective lines of the TurboKat. "Or they don't know about her yet?"

"Unlikely," Jake admitted. "She's too fussy for production. Maybe for an elite strike force, but she'd be insanely expensive for the full fleet. Once you get to a certain point on the bleeding edge, they're all hand-built custom jobs."

"Pity," Kip smirked. "Love to see the faces on the generals in Lothos or Traveris if the Knights came over the horizon in a wing of these babies. You and Chance take her out often?"

"At least once a week, sometimes more," Jake smiled fondly for the jet. "I've been tweaking and rebuilding this baby since I was twenty. Only crashed her twice," he added with a chuckle.

"Get distracted?" Kip smirked. "Mind showing me the inside?"

"Sure," Jake twisted around to open up the bomb bay. "I wasn't distracted, just didn't work out all the kinks on a mod before I took her out. Some things you only really find out about when it hits the air for real. We haven't crashed since Chance started flying her. He's a _much_ better pilot. I may have Enforcer pilot wings, but he's a hands down best of his generation ace."

"Ouch," Kip winced, walking up into the bomb bay. "Armed in case you get called in while you're in the air?" He guessed, looking around inside of it.

"While I could give her a full weapon load, it's really for storage," Jake chuckled, blushing a bit. "I use her to travel too. Vacations and such. Sub-orbital Mach 5 makes short work of just about anywhere. A few incidents I had while on business as a designer made me a little paranoid about my safety too. She can make just about anyone think twice about the risk of kidnapping me."

"Heh... that, or convince them to do it," Kip chuckled. "You two ever use the back end of this bird like the back of a car?" He asked with a smirk that was return with an utterly blank look that remained for far too long. "You never dated when you were in school, did you?" Kip sighed, shaking his head a bit with a low chuckle. 

"I graduated with a masters and two bachelors at _seventeen_ ," Jake pointed out dryly. "So no."

Kip had to give him that one, even as he tried not to think about what it would have taken to pull off. "Back seat of the car's practically the traditional place to get laid the first time, even if you're not into fems."

"Oh," Jake murmured, taking a moment to correlate everything. "No," he answered simply.

"Chance is your boyfriend, then?" Kip asked him, continuing to look around the jet. "Is it just me, or does this thing seem bigger in here?"

"Yeah it does," Jake nodded. "It's something I've never gotten to work in a production model, or even in some of the ones I built myself. It's a _really_ difficult thing to create under the best of conditions."

"I'll bet... how do you do it? Or do you not really know, yourself?" He asked, remembering some of the things Jake had said about that during his lectures.

"I've got more of a clue than most, but I still can't build one right off yet," he admitted. "The first one just happened. I've been trying to reverse-engineer ever since. I'm getting closer, I think, but I've got decades of work to go before I fully understand what this is."

"It _does_ seem like something out of a TV show or something," Kip agreed. "Wasn't damaged in the crashes?"

"At least not enough that I couldn't repair it," Jake shook his head, relaxing against the curved inner fuselage wall. "Both times she went down fairly soft. Gashes and exterior damage, but not shattered."

"Lucky... or did you have an AI helping with the landings?" The Tiger-Wolf asked, leaning back next to Jake, running through things in his head. On the one hand, Jake had all but told him he was with Chance, or at least hadn't denied it. On the other hand, the tabby was notorious for the fact that _he_ wasn't exclusive, it just didn't sound like Jake was interested in flirting most of the time. As jumpy as he got when relationship things came up, he might just be more comfortable with the direct approach ... it had certainly been true when he'd _did_ go looking for a date. Hadn't even bothered with names or a drink. Just walked up, asked if he wanted some tail, and got fucked, came and went home, apparently content with it.

Besides, knowing Jake, he might just slug him instead of saying 'no,' if it wasn't welcome. He certainly had the training to put a simple mechanic in their place in a hurry, just like any of the Knights.

"She's computerized and fly-by-wire, but not an AI," Jake shook his head. "The computer required for an AI is still way too big to fit into a jet, even a primitive one like Sara."

"Wasn't sure - you seem to be able to make all sorts of impossible things work," Kip winked, before turning so he faced Jake, his much larger body dwarfing the cinnamon-furred tom's. "Seems to be a talent of yours," he pointed out, before leaning down to kiss him hungrily, hoping this worked out the way he wanted it to, instead of the way it would if Jake really _wasn't_ interested.

When he didn't feel the pain of a rebuttal, he shifted over Jake without breaking the kiss to pin him. There was tension there, a lot of it, but even with his arms pinned at his sides, Kip knew Jake could kick him, or bite the tongue that was pressed into his mouth.

Despite a general lack of overt positive reaction, a rebuttal didn't happened either, and as he pressed against Jake's front, Kip could feel the tom's arousal against his own.

He shifted his leg, pressing it against Jake's crotch as he lifted him up so it was easier to kiss him while he was pinned against the side of the jet. His own sheath was full, his cock hard against Jake's thigh as he tried to get some sort of reaction.

A small moan escaped Jake's throat as he went from stiff with shock to compliant, opening his mouth and kissing back.

This was more like it. Kip reached down, undoing his zipper, shifting to lick his throat tenderly.

"Gods you're hot," he rumbled throatily, the closest he had to a purr. It quickly turned to a moan when Jake turned his hand over and stroked the hard length, his head back and to the side, offering his throat without resistance, as submissive as anyone Kip had ever seen.

"Get your belt," Kip rumbled lowly, nipping Jake's shoulder and working on getting his own pants open.

Jake nodded and quickly shimmied out of them and turned over, offering his ass, his tail over his back in a clear invitation.

"Wanna do it right, this time," the Tiger-Wolf told him, stripping down, revealing his well-muscled body and hard cock, knot starting to swell a bit, shaft textured like a Tiger's and the tip the somewhat pointed plow head of a Kantin's. He wet a finger with his own spit, then pressed it up against Jake's anus, starting to stretch him out a bit.

Jake shot him a look over his shoulder that began quizzical, shifted to annoyed and just as quickly hit acceptance as he settled his head on his crossed forearms and his body relaxed.

"You prefer it without any prep?" Kip asked him, a little surprised by the idea. "Figured it was just the bar scene last time."

"I have a boyfriend," Jake pointed out with a slight shrug. "If you're just going to do what he does, there's not much point to it."

"Chance didn't really strike me as the sort to take his time," Kip chuckled lowly. "Y'like it rough then? No problem," he rumbled, gripping Jake's ass and sinking his textured cock deep into it, his knot starting to swell as he thrust.

"Yesss!" Jake groaned, his entire body reacting with a ripple of tension to the intrusion, his tail straight up and as stiff as his cock.

Kip leaned down, biting down on Jake's scruff, fucking him as hard and deep as he could, aiming to rub his shaft along Jake's prostate as much as he could. He growled hotly as he got into his dominant mindset with a _very_ willing sub.

He thought Jake was hot before, but this ... dear gods, the Kat could melt stone with the mewing whimpers he made when treated right.

That tabby didn't know what he was missing!

He released Jake's scruff, howling as he came the first time, filling Jake's ass and thrusting straight through the orgasm, his knot starting to get large enough that it took him some effort to get it in and out of the tom's body. Each time the knot popped out of or pressed into his body, Jake whimpered, his fits tightening and driving his claws into his palms.

When Kip closed his jaws across the back of Jake's neck, threatening to bite it in half, the tom cried out sharply, his entire body contracting as he came.

Kip thrust forward, tying with him when Jake's ass was at its tightest, growling possessively as he came again, reaching down to stroke Jake's cock, fully intending to make the tom come dry at least once.

It was incredible. The more he dominated, threatened pain and death, the more turned on Jake seemed to get. Just a little more pressure on the tom's neck and Jake's seed spilled again, coating Kip's hand as he continued to stroke and thrust as much as he could while tied.

And the sounds Jake made! They were nearly enough to draw another orgasm from him just by themselves.

Did Jake have any idea of the sexy display he was making of himself?

Next time he _had_ to get this on film. He could jerk off to it forever.

As it was, his balls pulled up close, pumping another load into Jake's ass as Kip moved his hand up to offer it to the cinnamon-furred tom to lick clean.

"Gods, you are a hot little slut," he rumbled when Jake began to meticulously clean his fingers. Just the thought of that attention turned to other parts of him made him shudder, and the tremor that passed through Jake's frame at his words excited him even more.

Why couldn't he have managed the transfer a few months earlier, before Jake had someone in his bed? Competing with the Kat's partner wasn't going to be easy.

He'd just have to make sure he kept offering something Chance didn't - he didn't want to break them up as a team, but he'd have to find some way to get in the way of their bedroom fun. He was sure Chance would move on pretty damn fast. The tabby was infamous for making sleeping around an endurance sport few could keep up with.

When his hand was clean, he took Jake's ass and pushed him forward, wrenching his knot free with a low groan.

"Suck me off, bitch," he ordered Jake, pushing the tom to his knees. He didn't bother to keep the grin off his face at the way Jake's cock twitched at the order, or maybe the tone. No matter what was on Jake's face as he began to lick Kip's hybrid cock clean, the Kat couldn't hide that this was intensely exciting for him.

"Good boy," he groaned, pushing his cock into Jake's mouth once he'd finished cleaning him off, his tongue lolling out as he let the tom go into giving him a full-on blowjob. "Stroke yourself, bitch - show me how much you love sucking my cock."

He felt more than heard Jake's whine as he complied, the vibration of the sound sending shivers down his body. As he looked down, watching Jake's head bob up and down, taking him all the way in so his nose was against the knot, he saw a Kat that was so turned on he couldn't think any more.

"You are such a little slut. I bet you'd love it if I had an entire pack to use you," he rumbled, excited by the way Jake trembled at the suggestions. "I'd tie you up, ring gag and muzzle you, and order them to use you until they wore themselves out."

He paused, ready to go on except for the way Jake suddenly brought his head up to cry out, his body jerking as he came hard despite nothing coming out.

"Had your chance to finish," Kip smirked, reaching down and stroking his own cock until he groaned, shooting his seed out onto Jake's face and chest after the first few spurts landed in the tom's mouth. His own balls pretty thoroughly drained, he grabbed the tom's cuffs from his pants and pulled Jake up to his feet.

"Hands up," he ordered him.

There was half a second of hesitation, an aborted reflexive grab to reclaim his cuffs, and he complied, shivering in anticipation.

"Good boy," Kip rumbled, cuffing Jake's hands around a bracing bar in the jet before sliding down to his knees. "I'm going to see just how long you can go before you finally beg to _stop_ coming," he grinned up at him, licking Jake's hyper-sensitive cock from base to tip with his velvety tongue.

Jake moaned, trembling as he grabbed the chain of the cuffs to help support himself.

Kip grinned up at him, taking Jake's cock in his mouth, working it with all his skill, his tongue washing over Jake's barbs as he pressed a finger up into the tom's dripping ass to probe his prostate.

It wasn't long before Jake whimpered and whined, the pleasure rippling across his entire body, completely out of control. They both lost track of time until Jake went limp in the cuffs as his body stilled from another dry orgasm in Kip's mouth.

Kip chuckled and licked his own fingers clean, shaking his head as he stood up.

"Too much, huh?" He uncuffed Jake, checking the tom's pulse to make sure it wasn't anything serious and was relieved to find a strong, if fast, pulse to go with the ragged breathing. "You're a stubborn one, I'll give you that."

He picked Jake up, walking down and out of the jet, looking around for the clean-up area he was sure Jake had here. When he found it, he shook his head in bemusement at the full bathtub and shower, among other things.

"You really do like your comforts, huh?"

"Yes, he does," a light female voice from nowhere made him jump until he remembered it was the hangar's computer. "His vitals are good. Should I call Chance to take him home?"

"No, I'll drive him back after he comes around," Kip said. It was a little strange talking to a computer, but.... "I don't suppose you know how he likes his showers, do you?"

"Hot," she replied easily and turned the shower on. "He finds water quite erotic based on the porn collection I have in memory."

"Huh... anything else you know about him, and what he likes in guys?" Kip asked as he worked to get Jake the rest of the way undressed and tested the water before hauling the tom in. He was grateful the tom was so much smaller than he was, but it was still a significant dead weight.

With the shower wetting both their fur, Kip set the Jake down against the back of the shower and starting to scrub him clean.

"He seems to have little use for romance," Sara said after a pause. "He never talks about it. Chance means the world to him."

"Huh... well, guess I'll just have to keep working on him, then," he mused. "What sort of music has he got loaded in you?" He asked the computer.

"Rock, rap, country, folk, ethnic, military, soundtracks and thunderstorms," she said.

"Think you could queue up a few favorites of his for when he starts waking up?" Kip asked, finishing cleaning Jake up and starting on himself.

"Of course," she replied before a quick beat and the rolling broke of a native Keldinan singer filled the room.

It wasn't much longer before Jake moaned slightly, shifting in the shower's rain as he fought his way back to the waking world.

Kip threw the dryers in, turning off the water as he stepped over to help Jake to his feet.

"You okay?" He chuckled. "Didn't think you'd pass out on me like that."

"Yeah, I'm okay," Jake said, still a little wobbly on his feet. "I'm not much on begging."

"Apparently not," Kip chuckled. "So, enjoy yourself?" He asked with a grin.

"It was good," Jake steadied himself and worked on drying himself in the swirling hot air.

"Want me to drive you back to your place, after you've dried off?" The Tiger-Wolf offered as he flicked his tail out.

"Yeah," he nodded, stretching upwards to his full extension. "I need to get some sleep before shift starts."

"Fair enough," Kip chuckled. "If y'ever need it, I've got a guest room back at my place," he offered, stepping out after he was dried off. "My clothes are back in the jet; I'll meet you at the truck," he said, heading out to get dressed and hoping it would be soon and often.

The next time he pressed Jake against the wall, it would have to be on a Friday night when they'd have a couple days off to explore it. 

* * *

Chance purred as he started waking up to feel Jake next to him; it'd been worth it to go back to the room they shared after Sandy'd left the night before. He turned over in bed, nuzzling Jake's neck and running a hand down his side.

"Late night, huh?" He rumbled, mostly to himself, as he reached down to finger Jake's ass lightly, raising a mental eyebrow as he felt that he was already very well stretched out. "Good night, it feels like."

"Mmm?" Jake mumbled, part word, part just half awake sound.

"Mornin'," Chance rumbled, reaching around to stroke Jake's cock, rubbing his sheath against the cinnamon tom's ass. "Still sleepy?" He teased with a grin.

"Little," Jake managed to say as he started to wake up. "Sore too," he added a little apologetically.

"Never thought you'd be the one to make a random hookup," Chance snickered, kissing his neck lightly. "Want me to back off for a bit then?"

"For a couple days," Jake admitted. "It wasn't that random, at least not for him."

"Are you okay?" Chance asked him, snapping into focus on just how this sounded like it had gone down.

"Yeah," he said, stretching out in place. "It was just _very_ weird. He kept trying to play boyfriend."

"Okay... it's a little weird for that fast, but what do you mean he kept trying to play boyfriend?" Chance asked him carefully. "I mean... from what I know about what you did before, he might've just been trying to do more than get your mutual rocks off."

"Just that," Jake blushed slightly. "He knew I had a boyfriend, I told him...." he just sighed. "It's just weird. Guess I'm not used to someone not taking my word on what I want."

"Well, if you want, I could rough him up a bit so he'll leave you alone," Chance teased, kissing his neck and relaxing significantly.

"Only if you want to stake a claim that I'm only yours," Jake rolled over and winked at him before claiming a kiss. "He does have an incredible cock," he purred throatily even as he reached between them to stroke his partner's morning wood.

"So what does he do with it that I don't?" Chance grinned, enjoying the attention and that his partner was feeling up to playing, even if he wasn't up for being fucked. He raised an eyebrow at the deeply embarrassed blush the question earned.

"It's not so much what he does with it," Jake managed to say without breaking his stroke. "I really do get off on what I did; rough, all but forced, and nearly anonymous."

"Mmm ... well, enjoy it then," Chance purred. "Though find out if I'll ever get to watch, if he's worn you out _that_ much," he grinned, spreading his legs and reaching down to stroke Jake's sheath and found him fairly aroused.

"That has more to do with having a knot pulled out before it goes down," Jake chuckled and kissed him.

"Ouch," Chance winced and kissed him back. "Y'know, I could play rough a little more, if you wanted me to," he rumbled, keeping any reaction to the hesitation he felt in Jake's body to himself.

Jake moaned at first, his eyes drifting closed from the tabby's attentions. "It's not the same when I know who's doing it."

"That's fine," he murmured, kissing his lover tenderly. "I like the way we do things just fine. Might be fun to watch some time though - sounds like it was a real show. Wanna fill me in?" He rumbled.

"What he really did, or what makes me the hottest?" Jake managed a shy grin.

"Mmm ... how about what you _want_ him to do to you," Chance grinned, rolling over on top of Jake and kissing him more heatedly, getting a thrill from the moan of anticipation his partner gave in response.

"Mmm, start with knowing he's got the best of a Kat and Kantin," Jake shivered. "All the texture of ours, but a knot too."

"And comes like a firehose as often as you want?" Chance rumbled, nibbling Jake's neck. "I've met guys like him before, overseas, I know the type."

"Yeah," Jake murmured, running his hands along the tabby's sides. "He grabbed me, kissed me, rubbed against me as I was pinned. When I go lax in his grip, he unzips his pants and pulls that cock out, hard and ready. I'm pushed to my knees and it's shoved into my mouth. He doesn't take any heed if I object, of my claws against his hips. He just grabs the back of my head and takes his pleasure, fucking my face until his seed pours down my throat and spills from my mouth," he said, shivering in arousal at what he was saying.

"Mmm, he can't let you off _that_ easy, can he?" Chance grinned, rubbing his cock against Jake's hardening cock and full sheath. "Just one round?"

"Oh, a good deal more," he rumbled, purring deeply. "He pulls me to my feet and shoves me against the wall, uses his mass against my back to pin me there. He reaches around, unbuckles my belt and pushes my pants below my hips, pulls my tail free and out of his way," Jake's breath quickened as he began to thrust against Chance's cock. "Grabs my hands, pins them before hilting inside me in one move."

"You really are into the non-con thing, aren't you?" Chance kissed his way down Jake's neck, relishing the whimpers and increasing strength of Jake's thrusts.

"Since Lost Day," he admitted with a groan of pleasure, no longer really ashamed of the fact. "Made me accept what I got off on."

"Just want him to fuck you, whether you want him to or not?" Chance asked him. "Or something more complicated?"

"It works ... very well," Jake murmured. "'Specially with a big Kantin. It's just about getting off, nothing else."

"What'd he do beyond that?" Chance purred, licking one of Jake's nipples. "Prep, or anything else?"

"No," Jake arched into the contact. "Just fucks me until he's dry, probably well after I am."

"Mmm ... it's all about him, huh?" Chance chuckled. "Get off on the idea of somebody watching you do that?"

"Yeah, and ... never thought about it, really," he admitted, even though it wasn't explicitly true. He had thought about it, just not the way the tabby meant. "I wouldn't mind. You get off on watching?"

"I can," Chance rumbled, speeding up his own thrusts. "Mmm ... and joining in, but sounds like you wouldn't want me to."

"Not really," Jake moaned, pre oozing from his cock to slicken the friction between them. "Not even if he brings a pack."

"Just have to watch then," Chance grinned, kissing him hotly, their balls rubbing against each other. "Want me to hold off?"

"No," Jake panted, his eyes squeezed shut and his body on the brink of coming.

Chance started thrusting faster, rubbing harder against Jake's cock until he roared, pumping his seed between their hard, hot, sweat-slicked bodies.

The splash of hot liquid against his body and cock, along with the scent of his lover's orgasm, was enough to push Jake over the edge with a sharp cry. His arms tightened around Chance's large frame as he thrust upwards, rubbing against slick fur and hard muscle as he spurted his seed to mingle with his lover's.

"Mmm ... _almost_ as much fun as your ass," Chance purred, kissing him deeply. "You have anywhere to be before our shift?"

"Nope," he chuckled before kissing him back. "Have something in mind?"

"Mmm ... maybe order in some 'breakfast' and get you a good soaking before we have to go in to work?" Chance rumbled. "We've got about two hours before we have to leave."

"That sounds really good," Jake stretched luxuriously in place. "Here's hoping we don't have a fight today. I could use a day or two off."

"Same here," Chance purred, kissing Jake lightly. "I'll get lunch ordered; tub'll be ready in a bout ten."


	9. Dinner and Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jake and Megan have dinner together to get to know each other a bit better, it turns into something a bit more when Chance breaks up a fight elsewhere.

Megan Treyo stepped out of her sedan and handed the keys to the valet. She had to admit, she was more than a little surprised when he suggested such a fine restaurant. He didn't strike her as the kind who would socialize here. Hell, _she_ barely ate here, and only on business. It was probably how he was familiar with it too.

It was then that it sunk in why he had probably chosen it. Lae Nucas was safe for the talk of lawyers, psychiatrists and corporate bigwigs; it would be quite safe for anything their conversations wondered onto.

She smoothed out the front of her dress-suit, and stepped inside, hoping he was still waiting for her as she checked her watch. She was only a few minutes late, but it wouldn't do for him to think she'd forgotten their 'date.'

"Do you have a reservation, ma'am?" the maître d' asked her formally.

"I'm meeting with Mr. Clawson," she told him easily. "Has he arrived yet?"

"Ah, yes," the prim and proper Siamese nodded. "Do you have a cuisine preference?"

"Balkitian, thank you," she smiled with a nod of her own, pausing as he selected only two of the seven large menus. "I hope he hasn't been waiting too long?"

"Less than a single drink, ma'am," he assured her and led her into the more private of booths in the large restaurant. She spotted him, though she was sure he saw her first, and the wine glass on the table was more than half full still.

"Appointment run late?" Jake grinned at up her as she slid in across from him and was given the menus.

"Unfortunately," she smiled, taking the menus with a polite nod. "I think we made some serious breakthroughs though. How've things been for you?"

"Odd," he couldn't help but chuckle. "I spent most of my life forgetting that sex exists, and now I have Chance, and another guy is trying too. Chance I understand, or I can. This guy," he shook his head. "I don't get him at all."

"Oh?" She asked with a smirk. "Somebody I should look at for a patient?" She teased lightly.

"I'm more likely to need it than him," Jake laughed easily. "He's just got a healthy libido that picked a poor subject to try and date."

"Well, if you want it I'm game, but it's up to you," she chuckled, considering the menu. "I might have a reason why for you, though. At least in the last few years."

Jake cocked his head at her, clearly lost on the comment.

"For why your libido's down," she explained. "Has it always been an issue, or just since your run-in with Traveris?"

Jake leaned back and sipped on his dark wine while he thought back. "Yes and no," he cracked a smile behind the glass. "I didn't notice much of anyone until my mid twenties. I've always attributed it to being too focused on school and work. You don't do what I did and have anything resembling a life. I wasn't like Chance, but I guess I was pretty normal for the next decade. After ... them ... I focused on my work again. I've honestly never felt like it was a problem for me. It's just some people around me have issues with my lack of interest in dating in general."

"Dating and sex aren't always the same thing," Megan chuckled lowly. "Though I suppose I can understand. I've done a little talking with a friend of mine who specializes in Traveris-related PTSD, and she gave me a little information that might be a part of it too. Apparently most of the nobles over there 'fix' their 'pets' by nearly full castration, leaving just enough to avoid health issues. Obviously I can't be sure, but there's a good chance that happened to you during your time there."

Jake blinked at her, then cringed as memories he _really_ didn't want to have bubbled up to where he had to deal with them again.

She saw a waiter approach them out of the corner of her eye, and the quick, silent retreat he made after catching a look at Jake's pale, absolutely terrified expression.

Even though Jake got himself under control fairly quickly, but the more subtle body language of fear and paranoia she'd seen in far too many POWs after the war remained. She took quick appraisal of his condition, and decided that the best way to help him relax was just to let him do so without saying anything. Once he'd wound down, she looked up at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it would affect you that hard," she said softly. He really had blocked most of it off - there was no other way he could function the way she'd seen him do with that sort of nerve-wracking fear.

"It's okay," he reached down to smooth his tail out, using the grooming to finish settling himself. "When I got back, the psych told me I'd done a spectacular job of suppressing the trauma, but this, the triggered flashbacks, would be the price of it. It doesn't happen often, and the general paranoia on security has been a boon more often than not. It's something I need with my job anyway."

"I suppose," Megan nodded. "Want me to steer away from that, going forward? I don't want to stress you out any more than I have to."

"Did you have a reason to bring it up?" Jake asked after a pause.

"Well, the conversation went there ... and I was hoping I might talk you into spending my next heat keeping me sane," she admitted, blushing a bit. "Girls are nice, but it's hard to beat a nice guy like you," she smiled.

He nodded, slowly processing that, and the bits from his Lost Day the idea brought up. "I should find out if I'm really sterile first," he said quietly, still digesting all that had been said in the last few minutes.

"Definitely," she nodded. "I might be able to afford a kit, barely, but I'd really rather not have to," she admitted. "You have a doctor who could run the tests for you, or would you like a few names?" She offered.

"I'm fine using an Enforcer doc," he said, still digesting it all, then cracked a cheeky grin. "I don't think we can manage anything _more_ awkward now. Though if you did end up pregnant by me, you wouldn't be on your own," he added seriously. "Financially or in raising them."

"Good to know," she chuckled. "And you're probably right. So, when were _you_ planning on things getting awkward?"

"When I asked about Chance," he admitted. "Things he would tell me about, but I'd rather not make him remember, same way I don't mind him learning about what's happened to me, but I'd rather not have to go there again."

"Why don't we get our orders in, and we'll start there then," Megan smiled as the waiter came back in. "Ru'a'bil-l-lahma and karkady, please," she said, handing the menus to him.

"The tour de Imitia," Jake ordered. "Heavy on the meat and garlic."

"Of course, sir, ma'am," he bowed slightly to them and disappeared again to get her drink.

"So, why don't we talk about the tabby... what in particular were you curious about?" Megan asked as she relaxed back.

"I read his file, the official one and a significant chunk of the one I'm not supposed to know exists, much less know what's in it," he began to let her know what he had gotten already. "What I've never worked out was why it bothers him to kill."

"You mean why what he did before would bother him?" She asked, wanting to be sure she understood the question correctly.

"Yes," Jake nodded. "I've killed often enough now ... I don't understand, and I'd like to. Innocents, civilians, it's hard when they die, but he didn't shoot folks without guns."

"No, he didn't," she agreed. "Jake... do you really have _no_ issues with killing, when you have to do it? Even when nobody gets hurt who isn't supposed to? Shooting somebody who, if you're doing it right, doesn't have any ability to defend themselves against you?"

"They're all trying to kill me," he pointed out, not entirely sure he was following her. "If they do their job right, we go down. That's what a battle _is_. I don't enjoy killing, but I've never felt bad about it either."

"A battle, yes, but that's not the sniper end of things," she pointed out. "What Chance did, officially and unofficially, usually involved going after people who weren't aware they were on the firing line. The line between a sniper and an assassin can be a very thin one, and a matter of perception."

"He has an issue with the surprise of it?" Jake frowned.

"I think it's more an issue with the very thin line between what he did and murder," she said, taking a sip of her bright red tea when it arrived and trying to come up with a better way to explain it. "It might not be the surprise, so much as the fact that he's _not_ killing in battle. It's got very little in common with the way that you fight now," she pointed out.

"No, it's a hell of a lot safer," Jake shook his head with a sigh. "I guess I'm wondering about if we go to war again, and we're bombing cities instead of fighting Omegas. Even _I'm_ not entirely comfortable with that, for all I know I'd do it if they let me go to the front line, and sniping doesn't bother me."

"I'm not sure if he's thought that far ahead," she admitted. "And I know what you mean, it is... I don't think he was that bad, coming out of Lothos," she reassured him. "It was Omega Force that screwed him up the most inside."

"He was going outside the law, and even with his CO saying it was okay, he knew it wasn't," Jake didn't really guess, then he smiled fondly. "He has the strongest moral fiber of anyone I've met. I'm not sure he's noticed, but I look to him when I'm not sure about something."

"He probably hasn't," Megan giggled. "He can be a little thick sometimes... does he know about the other guy?" She asked him.

"Oh yeah," Jake shivered at the intense memory. "He wants to watch the next time," he blushed deeply.

"That's Chance," she snickered. "If you can't join in, enjoy the show. You know, he'd probably enjoy being watched too, if you wanted to go that way," she winked.

"We'll see," Jake couldn't help but chuckle, the conversation pausing when the waiter came with their meals. "He really is something else."

"Definitely," she agreed. "Especially when you consider everything that happened to him. He's come out of it pretty well though; anything else you wanted to hear about?"

"I don't suppose you're familiar with the regs regarding time off for a heat?" he asked. "Save me looking'm up."

"Actually, I am," she chuckled. "It's like most any other leave, but you're less likely to get called back in at the last minute if you tell them it's for a heat. Takes a _real_ disaster, instead of them just feeling like they want you around after all."

"Particularly useful when you have the highest ranking on the force," Jake couldn't help but chuckle with a grin. "When is the next one?"

"About a month from now," she admitted sheepishly. "That's why I wanted to bring it up sooner, rather than later... hope it's not too late to set it up?"

"I have no idea," Jake shook his head before a forkful of meaty lasagna. "I'll see about the tests and setting things up. How sure do you want to be about not coming out of this pregnant?"

"I wouldn't worry about getting a true zero, but I think as long as the count's very low, we'd be fine," she said after a bit of thought. "I'll be taking medication to reduce the odds anyways, I always do, just in case. You never know if your girlfriend might've been with a guy just before she came over to your place, and when you're in heat, it's _really_ damn hard to care," she admitted.

"I have noticed," he assured her. "It would be best if we were at your place, or make sure Chance has another place to stay. He's incredible sensitive to it. I'm sure he could control himself, but it'd be mean to force him to try."

"Gods, yes," Megan giggled. "Believe me, I know; you should've seen him once when he came over about a week after my heat had ended - I couldn't walk straight for a month. My place is fine, and I know he'll have plenty of opportunities to play around."

"I didn't know he was _that_ bad," Jake laughed deeply. "Though on related subjects, it wouldn't hurt to have a girlfriend over, so I can get some rest."

"Mmm ... remember the Tigress I'd been talking to when we met?" She asked him with a spreading grin.

"Yes," he nodded after a moment to think. "I take it you two hooked up."

"Oh, we have a couple times before, just not long term," she chuckled. "You like her looks?"

He blinked, pausing his meal as it suddenly hit him that she went somewhere he hadn't. "She's attractive, yes," he said more cautiously. "If you were thinking of a threesome, she's not really my type."

"Fair enough," she nodded. "Anybody who is, or just not really into that sort of thing when it's with another fem?" She asked him easily.

"Fems aren't my thing," he pointed out gently. "Toms barely are. Wolves are what I find most attractive."

"No problem; I just figured it'd be better to find somebody we both thought was attractive to back you up," she winked. "How come you never tried hooking up with a Wolf?" She asked him curiously. "I suppose Chance counts in _some_ ways, but not the ones that most people like."

"I would have hooked up with whoever they partnered me with, if they were inclined for it," Jake shook his head slightly. "It's building the trust and friendship that take more time and energy than I'm inclined to invest in anyone just to have a mate."

"Geek syndrome?" She asked him with an understanding nod. "Well, you got lucky then - found yourself a good guy for a partner. Would've been a lot rougher if you'd run into one of the jackass brigade."

"Pretty much," Jake nodded. "And I am lucky with Chance, though I doubt I'd have been disappointed if it hadn't worked out either. It's nice, but the sex doesn't make that big a difference."

"Good to know you can be friends too, if it doesn't work out in the end," she smiled. "Does anybody else know about you two?"

"I doubt it," he said, thinking it over. "That think we are ... my family, about half the Enforcers we work with, probably a few others, but they've been saying something to the effect of us being lovers since our first year together in the Academy."

"And most of them probably aren't really serious," Megan nodded. "You're keeping it quiet then, not trying to stir the waters a little?"

"Just don't feel the need to say anything," Jake shrugged. "I don't care if they know my preferences. I have places to go that really don't care. Chance ... it probably would hurt him if anyone really believed it that objected."

"His career, at least," she nodded. "He'd probably just clobber anybody who tried to make an issue out of it any other way," she mused. "So, what are you into with females? I remember our night together, but we had somebody else to consider," she purred, cutting off a piece of the meat pie that had come for her and eating it with a sip of her tea to moisten the flaky crust.

Jake leaned back, trying to relax as he thought about it. It wasn't nearly the easy answer that he had with guys.

"Submissive," he eventually answered, not entirely comfortable with the fact but not willing to lie to her either. "You saw just how easy it can be to trigger the wrong memories. Last time I was with a shekat in heat, it didn't take much to keep me interested, even after the blue heat wore off."

"You like the fem to be submissive?" She asked, trying to clarify just what he was interested in.

"Yes," he nodded slightly. "You're not going to have to work to keep me interested," he promised. "What about you? What are your kinks?"

"Mmm... when I'm in heat, I'm pretty easy to keep happy," she purred, thinking back to the last time. "If you want to play a hardcore dom, I'd be game for playing along, as long as I come hard and often. I'm up to bondage, _light_ S &M... I'm open to more on the D/s end of things, really."

"Mmm, willing to risk it with a male Wolf involved?" he rumbled softly. "Or stick to females only for a third party?"

"Thinking of your other friend?" Megan asked him, thinking about it. "If he was willing to be religious about using condoms or something of the sort, could be fun."

"Yes," he nodded easily. "Beyond being a hell of a turn on for me, he's got endurance to spare, and a cock you wouldn't believe," he added with a lusty purr. "I'll see if he's game with the restrictions."

"Go ahead," she chuckled. "Worst that happens is we find out it won't work so we go with a fem. What do you like in looks? I know you probably won't be much for playing with her, but it's good to have somebody you think looks good."

"Wolves, Alsatian, Tervuren, Elkhound, or a cute shekat shorter than you. Light build," he offered some basics. "I could send you some pictures if you like."

"Sure, but don't forget to talk to your friend," she purred. "Pics are always nice, even if it works out with him," she winked.

"I'll e-mail you a few then," Jake chuckled. "I'm sure Chance has a non-work addy for you."

"Not that he ever uses it," she snickered. "You have _got_ to convince him to check his email once in a while."

"Or I will," he winked. "Someone in the house will see it, once I get it. Anything important that he's missed?"

"Mmm, not really _important_ ," she giggled. "But I've sent him some pictures he'd probably like to see. He's got to be the safest guy out there to email those types of pics to; he'll never spread them around except to friends."

"He is a bit on the technically illiterate side," Jake couldn't help but snicker. "Anybody I know in them?"

"Chance isn't, so I have no clue," she giggled. "Mostly the aftermath of one-night stands; something we started doing a few years back, once in a while. Or, more accurately, I started doing it, and kept teasing that he should return the favor, but he never figured out how."

"Oh really," Jake's eyes glittered. "Well, I'll just have to see about changing that," he purred deeply. "I do have security cameras in the apartment after all. Good quality ones. You might get a few vids out of it, if he cares to show off."

"You're evil - I like that," she grinned at him. "Just don't expect the same from me; they're all cell-phone quality, though I've got a good camera in my phone."

"Give me a few hours and I'll fix that," Jake grinned at her, every fiber of him energized by the prospect of a technical challenge. "You'd be amazed what Sara and I can do in my hanger workshop."

"Who's Sara?" She asked him, cocking her head curiously. "Girlfriend on the sly?" She smirked teasingly, sure it wasn't.

"The AI built into my hanger out at Katilia Field," he chuckled. "Who is probably as close to a girlfriend as I've had."

"Would 'hard drive' jokes be tasteless?" Megan teased, batting his leg with her tail lightly. "Surprised you'd have bothered; AI's aren't that useful yet, are they?"

"Yes, quite tasteless," he chuckled, batting her tail in return with his own. "And I didn't really bother. It's from my corporate days. She's quite useful to me."

"An old research project?" She guessed. "How advanced is she?"

"A bribe," he snickered. "That and she was cheaper, in their opinion, than a secretary that would handle organizing my life _and_ could understand what I was babbling about under my breath at odd hours of the morning."

"Especially since they'd have to pay a PhD to work as a secretary," she snickered. "She must be pretty well out there though... most AI's I've heard of couldn't handle anything like that."

"Just about everything I work on is in that category too," Jake smiled a little secretively. "Do you know what a tesseract is?"

"No clue," she admitted.

"It's a container that's larger on the inside than the outside," he explained as simply as he could. "I managed to build a jet with a tesseract bomb bay. There's still a major argument going on whether it's magic or science."

"There's still a major argument going on as to whether or not there's a difference," she pointed out with a chuckle. "Sort of like the TARDIS then?"

"Not that significant, but yes," he nodded. "The only downside is that I'm still not sure _how_ I built it. I've been trying to reverse-engineer it for years now, and I probably have years to go."

"You know, most people would worry if they'd built something and couldn't figure out how," she pointed out dryly. "You're sure _you_ built it, right?"

"When I was twenty," he nodded firmly. "Unless someone is managing to sneak into my private workshop to work on my private plane without me knowing, yeah," he added. "She's not a corporate project. She's one of the jets I build for myself. Chance is the only other person who's gotten to work on her, and he's really only flown her."

"Would you mind showing her off some time?" She asked curiously.

"Sure," Jake smiled and took a bit of seafood pasta. "Maybe even take you for a ride," he added with a grin. "Chance is the better pilot, but I'm not half bad."

"I've flown with Chance before," she shuddered, working on finishing up her own meal. "I'd _much_ rather be with a pilot who doesn't have his idea of fun, believe me."

"I do enjoy pushing the limits, but I also know how to fly a guided tour without making anybody sick," he chuckled. "Just be sure you never let Chance fly you in my TurboKat. He'll make that last flight look like an easy breeze."

"Thanks for the warning," she chuckled. "I had to be pried off the tarmac after we landed."

Jake couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. "That sounds like half the gunners who tried to fly with him before me. The thing is, he's in complete control. You weren't in any danger."

"You know, that, I know that - my stomach didn't," she smirked. "I was not meant to be flying on my side between two skyscrapers, that's all there is to it."

"That's all he did?" He winked at her, still laughing uncontrollably. "You _so_ do not want to visit the obstacle course he takes the TurboKat out on."

"Not all he did, but what I remember," Megan chuckled. "And I'll keep it in mind and _not_ take him up on any invitations. Just don't go doing anything like that to me, and we'll be fine," she winked. 

* * *

"How long have you been out here?" Megan asked as she got out of her car and joined Jake by the person-sized door to a private hanger in the large, largely non-commercial Katilia Airfield.

"Most of my life," he said, placing his hand on the palm-scanner and looking directly ahead. "My mom started me out, renting part of a hanger for me when I was ten and trying to build an prop-job in the garage.

"She didn't want to risk trashing the car when you spun it up, huh?" She chuckled, looking around. "It's a nice facility."

"Something like that," he snickered as the door opened and he lead her inside. "Or blow it up when I started working with fuel. Plus, out here, once they heard I was 'Clawson' nobody blinked at a kit running around the place."

"Good morning, Jake," a light, slightly mechanical female voice greeted him in return from somewhere ambiguous. "Who is your companion?"

"This is Megan Treyo," Jake said, closing the door behind her. "Megan, that disembodied voice is Sara, the AI I was telling you about."

"Hello, Megan," Sara greeted her. "Welcome to my home and Jake's workshop."

"Wow... you really are a full AI," Megan murmured, then slapped her forehead. "Uhm... hello, hope you didn't take offense just then," she said sheepishly.

"No offense taken," Sara replied smoothly.

"Come on, the jet's over here," he motioned her towards the main body of the hanger and the sleek black jet that was generations beyond anything she'd seen before.

"Very nice... no wonder Chance likes her," Megan smiled. "Just his speed," she teased, "sleek, black, and beautiful."

"Thank you," Jake smiled warmly, a look she recognized as one reserved for the complements that meant the world to him. They were few and far between, and she'd received two in a month. "I've been working on her, with this frame, since my twenties. Over half my life can be summered right there," he purred nostalgically, his expression soft and a little dreamy.

Not unlike the look that Chance got when things were quiet and the tabby was asleep.

"The best parts of it?" She smiled, snapping him out of his reverie a little bit.

"Many of them," he nodded and palmed the bomb bay open. "I don't think anything will really match when I got to present the first production Mark 1 Raven to Commander Feral and Mayor Manx though. That was an incredible day. This is the tesseract I told you about," he added as he hopped up into the space the size of a one-car garage.

"Woah... looks at least twice the size of the outside from here," she murmured, stepping in. "Doesn't feel any different."

"It never has," Jake told her, standing up easily in the space that contained a well-secured pair of motorcycles and welded in boxes for things. "I don't know what I do differently when I create ones like this, but they happen, just not every time."

"And you don't notice doing anything different, huh? Anybody else in your family ever manage it?"

"Not that I know of, but Mom isn't into building things herself, she just designs them, and sis isn't into vehicles," he shook his head. "Grandma's an artist, not an engineer."

"They're pretty similar sometimes, but I understand," she chuckled. "You ever actually load her up, or is she just a showpiece?"

"She's my personal plane," he chuckled softly, trailing his fingers along the interior wall before relaxing back against it. "Like the two-seater prop-jobs most folks keep for themselves. I just graduated from that level young. I don't think it's legal for me to arm her, at least not without clearing it with HQ first. Though she is capable of it; back in my corporate days, I wasn't always worried about legal or not, as long as it could get me out of a bad spot."

"Understandable, really," she nodded, sniffing the air. "Showed the other guy around here too, huh?" She asked with a low chuckle.

"It's where he jumped me," Jake nodded, blushing slightly. "Not the hottest night I've had, but up there," he admitted with a low rumble.

"Should I ask for details, or will you just say 'no' if I do?" She grinned, winking playfully.

He could only laugh, relaxing against the inside of the fuselage. "Does it matter than it won't work for you or Chance?"

"Not at all - I'm an unashamed pervert, remember?" Megan teased him, licking his cheek lightly. "The whole reason I send Chance dirty pictures, despite not being his lover?"

"All right," he grinned back and wrapped an arm around her as he twisted to push her against the wall of the bomb bay, letting the heat of his body press against her as he tested her response to his dominance. "Came as a surprise. He was a one-night stand a year ago, got transferred as a mechanic for the Black Knights that day," he crooned next to her ear as he nuzzled her. "He's good enough that I brought him here to show him what I could really do to a jet.

"We got talking, and all of a sudden he was on top of me, kissing me and letting me feel just how much I turned him on," Jake continued, rubbing the beginning of his arousal against her thigh.

"Kinda like this?" She purred after the initial surprise had passed, licking his cheek and pressing her leg back against his crotch as his sheath quickly filled. "Did you try and get him off of you, or just give up?" She rumbled.

"I kissed him back," he shivered at the intensity of the memory and moved one hand between them to fondle and squeeze her breasts as he rubbed against her, intent on getting hard enough to show her just what had been done to him. "I remembered that cock, the best of Kat and Wolf, wanted to suck it, feel it inside me again," his moaned as much in memory as the physical pleasure. "He's an incredible dom once he understands I don't want it gentle with him."

"Mmm ... and if I told you that _you_ don't have to be gentle with _me_?" She asked him, kissing him with the same sort of hunger she imagined he kissed the Tiger-Wolf with, pressing her chest against his hands. There was a _major_ thrill to knowing that she'd apparently managed to make enough of an impression to get Jake this wound up and interested in a fem!

"I'd give you a pretty good preview of next month," he chuckled low in his throat and nipped her shoulder, his hands going to work on getting her jacket and blouse off. "Though I doubt I'll manage to fuck you unconscious like he did me."

"Just as well, you still wanted to tinker with my phone," she winked, helping him undress her, shrugging out of her blouse as he exposed her plain cotton bra. "Hadn't expected this before," she purred, reaching back to unhook it. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Leave it on," he caught her hands and drew them upward, locking them to a metal bar overhead with a ziptie. "Go ahead and ask," he kissed his way down her exposed body as he pulled her dress slacks down.

"You and Chance ever join the Mile High Club?" She asked him with a low moan as he kissed her chest, stripping her down to her panties, stockings, and bra, her hands tied up helplessly above her. She didn't do this very often; she just hoped that Jake was a bit more experienced than she was.

"I don't know the term," he said as he slid the crotch of her panties over and stood to claim a hard, hungry kiss as he pressed her back, against the fuselage wall.

"Mmm ... you _are_ sheltered, aren't you?" She moaned into his mouth, spreading her legs for him. "Fucked in the air, while the plane was on auto?"

"No, never did that," he murmured against her neck and drove his freshly hard cock into her pussy with a single motion.

Megan gasped, squeezing down around his cock, the question entirely forgotten as she savored the feel of his member inside of her.

" _Fuck_ yes," she moaned. "Nail me, handsome," she purred deeply, kissing him as he started thrusting deep and hard, pressing her back against the wall with each motion. Even with the support he gave her hips, she had to squirm her hands around a bit to get comfortable.

She whimpered when his jaws closed around the side of her neck, the heat of his breath running down her back as his thrusts began to jerk sharply. She cried out, clamping down around his cock as she came, milking him hungrily for the seed he willingly gave up with a grunting growl with each thrust

His jaws still closed around the side of her neck, Jake pounded into her with abandon until he was spent for the round.

"I could get to really like this," he murmured as he let go of her neck and licked it smooth.

"I've got _no_ objections," she moaned, kissing him needily, then giggling. "Y'have a microscope here?" She asked him with a cheeky grin.

"Yes," he nodded, the question taking him by surprise enough to knock him out of any thought of a second round. "Why?"

"After you've finished up, I can get a preliminary check on whether or not you're fertile," she explained, licking his nose. "Mmm ... but first, how about another sample?" She purred.

"I think I can do that," he chuckled and kissed her before nearly pulling out and slamming into her body again.

* * *

Chance leaned to the side, taking the corner tightly on his bike as he rode home from the gym. He was purring with the same gusto as his engine, considering the possibility that Jake and Megan might end up coming back to the apartment together after their dinner date. That first threesome had been hot as fuck, and he certainly wasn't about to turn down a repeat if he got the chance!

He stopped at a traffic light, drumming his fingers on the throttle as he waited for it to change... and then killed the engine when he heard something. He flipped up the visor on his helmet, listening carefully... and scowled when he heard it again; a high-pitched, distressed yelp in the distance. He flipped down his visor and started the bike again, peeling out and running the light to find out who was in trouble - and why. He had a good feeling he knew the last part when he realized he was hearing it just a block or two from the Stonewall Club, just far enough away to be outside of the unofficial 'safe zone' that existed around it.

One more corner, taken almost parallel with the ground, and he saw it.

Two small, reddish Kantin inside a circle of tomkats that were using the pair as a combination punching bag/kick ball.

Chance jumped off his bike, letting it rest on its side as he shouted out at the toms.

"Back off!" He commanded them in his best Enforcer tone, flipping his badge out with one hand, balling the other up into a fist for when this went badly. He wanted to be sure it was easier to start swinging than to grab for his blaster when that happened. "Enforcers!"

" _One_ Enforcer!" someone in the crowd called back. "Get him!"

"Faggot lover," another snarled as the entire gang turned their attention on the tabby.

"Kantin lover," another hissed.

"Lothos vet with a short fuse and a badge," Chance warned them, flipping his badge back into his belt even as they surrounded him. This wasn't going to be fun ... but it would come close. A dozen to one odds weren't necessarily in his favor, but judging by the alcohol he could smell on them, they weren't _that_ against him. If it got too bad, he could always call for backup ... but he'd gone up against worse before. "Back down, or I _will_ defend myself, and them," he said grimly.

"Kill the faggot!" the apparent leader, a nearly black tabby that looked like he had Xanith blood and lived in a gym, roared.

It instantly caused a wave of fists, knives, clubs and bodies to rush forward.

Chance jumped up, planting a fist in the face of the first one to make the mistake of getting close enough for him to reach, twisting to push him to the ground and use his body as a stepping stone up and above the ring of toms, planting his riding boot _hard_ in the small of his back as he twisted to take the next comer on, going for one of the toms with a club. He quickly got inside the tom's reach, grabbing his hand and popping his claws out into his wrist, taking the club and throwing its former owner back as he spun to parry a knife attack.

Something hard, probably a bat by the crack it made, slammed across his shoulders, knocking him forward, but not down. He swung around, grabbing the shirt of the nearest attacker and planning his foot to use his forward momentum to throw the tom into another.

Then someone bigger than he was body tackled him, slamming him chest-first into the ground and shoving his face down. Chance was definitely grateful that he was wearing the helmet yet.

"That badge won't help you here, fag," a deep, angry voice growled above him. The leader of the group.

Chance reached under himself, abandoning the club and cocking his old side arm in its shoulder holster, angling it up. He took a hard kick to the side of the head, enough to make his eye water and his brain rattle, but the weight on his back was still there.

"I like this jacket; I'd hate to have to patch a hole in it for an asshole like you," he said grimly when his head stopped swimming enough to think again. "Especially since the odds are it'll castrate instead of kill, at this angle."

All the breath was knocked out of him as a steel-toed boot slammed into his balls, driving them into his body. The only thought in his mind for a time was that it hurt worse than getting shot.

Then he went into autopilot, twisting away from the next kick despite the greater weight on top of him. He got a leg up between the leader's, twisting him around with him so that he was on top just long enough to get off and clear some space. His body was still aching from the last few kicks, his vision blurry, but he brought his gun out and fired a warning shot into the air before aiming it squarely at the leader's head.

"Back the fuck off, or I fire!" He snarled, starting to squeeze the trigger. Anything that didn't shift his aim would kill the part-Xanith - anything that did would probably injure him, or one of the others, either way. In the back of his head, he mentally ran through the shot it would take to _stop_ him from pulling the trigger.

Nobody here would be good enough to pull it off, even if they had a weapon to do it with.

"Don't!" A terrified, light male voice cried out from outside the battlezone. "Don't kill."

"Seems he's a better man than you are," Chance growled at the leader, grateful for the brief reprieve. "Tell your boys to give up." There was a steely edge to his voice that concealed the sinking feeling in his gut at the thought that he might try calling his bluff.

And the question of whether it was a bluff or not.

A yelp of pain from behind him told of at least one thug decided to have the initiative to slug the Fox for speaking up.

"Might think twice about roughing up the guy trying to save your sorry ass!" Chance snarled, not shifting his aim or view.

The big half-breed waved to his gang to back away, and they did, a little, as he stood and glared down at the defiant tabby. "You'll get yours, traitor," he hissed before stalking off, all but daring Chance to shoot him in the back.

He didn't, but the tabby memorized his face, and as many of the others as he could for the report he knew he'd have to file.

He returned his gun to his shoulder holster when they'd cleared out and turned to the badly shaken and bloodied Fox.

"You okay?" He asked he helped him to his feet.

"I will be," he lowered his eyes. "Thank you. My friend will be back with help soon."

"Good," Chance nodded as he began to calm down enough do an internal assessment of the damage he'd taken. "I'll stick around until then. I'll have to call this in," he warned the Fox, pulling out his communicator. "You won't have to file a statement if you don't want to, but I'd recommend it."

The Fox looked suddenly very uneasy, even as his boyfriend and a buff Panther from the club they'd been at came at a run.

"I should have known," the Panther shook his head with a chuckle as they came to a stop. "You know when I said to drop by anytime, this wasn't what I had in mind."

"You know each other?" the Maned Wolf glanced between the Enforcer and bouncer.

"Oh yeah," Chance cracked a grin.

"He comes by sometimes, with and without his boyfriend," the bouncer said, trying to shepherd the group back to the Stonewall. "Anybody need an ambulance?"

"A few of them might end up going in for busted noses, but I think I'm in pretty decent shape," Chance muttered. "What about you two?" He asked the two Kantin, both shorter than he was and looked them over to make sure they weren't hiding any injuries... and, he had to admit, for the more usual reasons too. They were both cute, probably what had gotten them the attention he'd just driven off.

"We'll be okay," the Maned Wolf assured him, though they didn't resist the guidance back to the club. "Thank you, sir," he added a little formally. "They don't usually come in such large groups, or this close."

"That worries me," Chance said grimly. "Any other trouble with those jokers around here?" He asked the bouncer.

"Big ass, dark tabby; probably half Panther?" the bouncer asked and got a nod. "Yeah, he's caused trouble before, but it's been months. He usually only has one or two friends with him."

"I don't suppose anybody's mentioned him to the Enforcers before?" Chance sighed, knowing it wasn't likely to change this time, except for him. "Anybody know his name, at least?"

"Doug Kildar," the bouncer supplied as they walked inside to a mixture of concerned and relieved looks from patrons and employees. "He's a local bully. We're just his current target. I've known him most of his life."

"Wonderful," Chance sighed. "I'm going to have to give them his name, you know."

"I know," he nodded. "I'll be having a little talk with him too, for all the good it does. Thanks for not hurting him any more than you did. We both know you could have killed the lot of them and gotten away with it," he said softly as the two Kantin were tended to by others in the bar.

"Could've maybe," Chance admitted. "Though it probably would've turned into riots once the news got hold of it. I'm just glad they backed off before I had to _actually_ shoot anybody ... the bastard's got guts, most guys piss themselves if they spend that long staring down the Eagle's barrel. Y'know if they've got job reasons to want to stay on the down-low?" He asked, nodding his head towards the two Kantin.

"Not that I know of," he shook his head. "They've seen a lot of prejudice from official types since they got here, and a lot worse where they come from. It's still better for them than back home, and they have kin around, but they're both scared to death of the cops. Some of them with good cause."

"On the house," a waiter wearing leather chaps offered Chance his favorite drink. "Thanks for helping them out."

"Don't mention it," Chance chuckled, taking the drink with a nod of thanks. "You guys here'd do the same thing for me," he pointed out, turning back to the Panther. "Think it'd help if I put in a request for Mac?"

"It wouldn't hurt at any rate," the bouncer nodded firmly. "I don't know if they'll file a report, but they will probably talk to him at any rate."

"I'll see what I can do... just let the staff know not to hit on him," Chance chuckled, pulling his com out and finding a quiet place to call in. 

* * *

Megan quietly whispered her count to herself as she counted the motile sperm cell she could see in her sample. It wasn't hard to keep count, the number was _well_ below what she'd consider safe... she'd still want to have a properly collected sample to run by somebody, but for a first guess, this was pretty decent.

"Yeah, I'd say you're basically shooting blanks ... not sure if I should offer my condolences or not," she admitted.

"With the state of genetics, not really," he smiled slightly at her. "I can have kits if I decide I really want them. My sister's a lot more like family material than I am. It does explain how I don't have kits running around yet though."

"Well, that and the whole 'gay' issue," she chuckled, kissing his cheek. "How's the phone coming?"

"Almost done," he cracked a grin at her, though his tone was serious. "Though guys are just how I get my rocks off the best when I'm horny," he told her. "A relationship ... I really don't care. It's about trust and being able to live and work together. If I'd gotten partnered up with a female, I'd probably be with her."

"Fair enough," she smiled, kissing his cheek lightly. "I'll admit, I was a little surprised you were so enthusiastic earlier," she winked.

He flushed slightly under his fur. "Chance is a bad influence. I'm discovering I have a libido, I can just easily ignore it when I have something else to do."

"Most people can - you just don't necessarily want to neglect it," she winked, licking his cheek. "So, head up after you're done?"

"Sure," he purred softly and focused back on what he'd been doing. "Though I would have never managed what I have in my first forty years if I didn't largely ignore it. It _really_ doesn't leave time for a life."

"You're probably right about that," she admitted. "Not all of us have the potential to get that far that fast though - I didn't have my doctorate until I was in my late 20's."

"Most people don't," he nodded, still working quickly and precisely; it was if he had done this a dozen times, not that he was improvising on the fly with every move. "I inherited the female ambition in my family. It goes back at least seven generations. They were first, or the best, or at the cutting edge of whatever they did. Teachers, explorers, artists, rocket scientists. The only thing they weren't much of were mothers. Usually just one or two kits in times where dozens were the norm."

"There are benefits to small families though," she smiled. "I've got half a dozen brothers and sisters, and it makes for a _lot_ more effort paying your way through college than when your folks are only helping one or two."

"I expect so," he nodded and handed her camera back. "It can take up to half an hour of TV quality video now, and pictures you could print for posters. Paying for school wasn't something I had to worry about, and neither did my mom. By the time I was looking, there was already heavy competition to recruit me, and not just here in MKC. That I was in a similar field as my mom really spread the word about me. I pretty much had everything handed to me on a silver platter until my twenties, and it was still easy even then," he said, more than a little embarrassed by it. "Enforcer Academy was the first real challenge I faced that wasn't pure survival."

"I'm sure it wasn't _that_ easy," she chided him, kissing his cheek and looking at her phone. "Works the same way as before?"

"Yap," he nodded and stood. "The movie setting is on the menu where you set the camera resolution now."

"I'll take a look at it later," she smiled, returning it to her holster. "So, time to hit the skies?"

"Oh yeah," Jake grinned. "It'll be good being the one flying her again," he chuckled, guiding her to the sleek craft. "I could outfit you with a G-suit and all, but I don't plan on doing anything that would require it for either of us."

"Then let's not bother," she smiled, following him on, and taking the co-pilot's seat behind him. "It's not worth all the hassle if I won't need it... besides, I doubt you have one in my size," she chuckled.

"No, but I can swing by HQ and get one," he winked back at her.

"Flight plan has been filed and accepted," Sara's voice came from the radio. "You are cleared to taxi to runway two."

"Let's just stick with not needing it," Megan giggled nervously as they started to taxi, remembering her last flight with Chance.

"Relax," he smiled at her over his shoulder as they rolled smoothly out of the hanger and onto the maze of pavement that was the private airport. "Unless somebody starts shooting, it'll be a gentle flight."

"And why would anybody do _that_?" She asked, looking over at him as her tail fluffed out.

"This _is_ MegaKat City," he pointed out with a curious look. "The land of the monthly Omega attack. There's always a chance of getting shot at around here."

"Right... not how I usually think of things, but I guess you're right," she murmured, settling back and hanging on for the takeoff.

"TurboKat, this is the tower. You are cleared for takeoff on runway two."

"Thank you, Tower," Jake responded as he powered up the engines and they began to roll much faster.

Megan had to remember to breathe as the acceleration went past that of commercial flights, but even as the nose lifted up, it wasn't nearly as hard a take-off as Chance had given her, and Jake was making good time to an altitude that definitely didn't involve canyon tag.

She took a few deep breaths as they steadied out, relaxing a bit.

"It's _so_ different up here," she murmured, looking out the cockpit of the jet at the city, sea and mountains below and around them.

"It can be," Jake smiled with a quick glance back. "It's different not to see it on patrol. To just be a tourist of sorts."

"Yeah... I meant in the cockpit though," she admitted. "In the passenger section of a regular jet, you don't see near as much."

"True," he chuckled. "Though if you _really_ want a view, there are far more open cockpits. I'll refrain from flying upside down for an unrestricted view," he winked at her and made a wide circle up towards the northern mountains.

"Thank you," she said dryly. "How high can she go?"

"The moon," he grinned, angling the nose up. "It's unofficial, but it sure cuts down on transit times to go sub-orbital."

"Your Mom know about that?" She asked him with a blink, gripping the armrests despite the relatively gentle assent.

"I've taken her all the way out," he chuckled. "The differences between a rocket and a jet are significant. There wasn't much she could use from my designs."

"Maybe not, but you'd think they could resurrect space planes," she murmured as they climbed higher into the night sky.

"More than one company is," he told her with a chuckle as the sky turned dark above them. "MASA has other priorities at the moment."

"Funding," she nodded, watching as the stars began to become sharply visible. "Wow...."

"Launching satellites and rocketry," he added. "There'll be more demand for a space plane when they manage to get the space station built and are looking to replace the current fleet."

"True," she nodded. "Then you'll _really_ be in demand," she chuckled, "unless you can show your Mom how to make the designs work... same basic field, right?"

"Urr, only vaguely," Jake shook his head as he swung them around from the moon-backed starscape to the view of MegaKat City's coast from the outer reaches of the atmosphere. "Rockets and jets don't have all that much in common, though if she shifts fields, she could probably pick it up fairly quickly."

"Sorry, I don't really understand much of either one," she admitted, looking out at the view. "Woah... I can see why you come up here once in a while."

"Want a full world tour?" he asked with a rumbling purr. "It'll take about three hours from up here."

"Mmm ... sure," she decided. "Just get me home by midnight," she winked playfully.

"Will do," he laughed easily and powered up the engines as he turned the nose against Aristal's rotation. "I do love it up here. Quiet, peaceful, no demands to speak of when I'm alone. Almost as good as the master bath."

"Now you just need to build a jet with a hot tub in it," she grinned.

"Jake?" Sara's voice same over the comm, and actually sounded worried to Megan. "I'm sorry for the interruption, but Chance has called into Enforcer HQ about an assault."

"Crap," he hissed under his breath. "Put the audio through."

"Lieutenant Furlong to HQ, patch me through to dispatch," the tabby's voice was strong and even, and she instantly saw the tension drain from Jake's body in relief.

"Yes, sir," the officer answering responded without question. 

There was a pause, and a quick male voice responded. "How can we help, sir?"

"Is Officer Macoli Ckestwil on duty?" Chance asked.

Another pause, the sound of typing. "Yes sir."

"Send him to the Stonewall bar," Chance instructed like it was his right to order cops around like this. "I've got a couple very edgy Kantin that were just assaulted."

"Is medical or backup required?" the controller asked politely.

A pause. "Medical, yes, but not critical. Backup's unnecessary. The fight is over," Chance replied.

"Officer Ckestwil is on a domestic at the moment. He will be dispatched to your location when he is done," the dispatcher said.

"Thanks Jamie," Chance replied a little more warmly than was required. "Have a good shift."

"How much you wanna bet he's the one who ended it?" Megan asked him once it was quiet.

"I'm sure he was," Jake said, still a bit uneasy. "Mind if we swing by, just to be sure?"

"That's fine - just remember, he's _all right_ ," she reminded him.

"I hope he's as all right as he said," Jake replied as they went down. "You might want to close your eyes. It'll be less scary."

Megan did so, gripping the seat and ready for a much rougher run than the trip up.

"Just promise me we're not going to _need_ those G-suits," she reminded him, bracing herself for the descent.

"We won't," he promised, keeping the decent smoother than she'd expected, for all it was faster than she ever wanted. It was the abrupt _de_ celeration that shocked her eyes open to the skyline of MegaKat City and subsonic flight as they came in low and fast, but not as low or as fast as the canyon tag with Chance had been. 

* * *

"Hey, Champ!" the Panther bouncer called in from the door, catching Chance attention. "I think your partner's here."

"Oh brother," Chance groaned, rolling his eyes and getting off the stool, walking over to meet him by the door. "He at least arrive in something that _isn't_ military issue?"

"Well, it's not _official_ military," he said a little uncertainly even as Chance heard the familiar rumble of his favorite set of engines.

Chance shook his head with a low chuckle.

"His date must've gone well; nobody stand in a good place to land out there," he said, stepping out and standing under the awning. He heard the jet go into hover mode, and the canopy slide back.

A moment later Jake, still dressed for dinner, landed with a soft thud outside.

"You look like a refugee from a Bond flick," Chance chuckled, stepping out and giving his partner a squeeze on the shoulder. "You didn't have to come out here, y'know."

"What can I say, dinner went well," he grinned sheepishly and gripped his partner's arm briefly before they let go. "But you can't actually expect me to ignore the fact you called in to HQ for backup and medical, even if you did say it was under control. We weren't fifty miles out, and _she_ lets me drive," he added with a mock pout.

"You'd never get off the ground if she didn't," Chance smirked. "Well, I'm fine, as you can see. Thanks for checking in, but it's going to be fine... the medical wasn't for me, so much as for the guys I pulled out."

"Good," Jake purred softly and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "We'll be home in a few hours. I did promise her a world tour from orbit."

"Jake?" A low, surprised and noticeably accented voice asked from inside.

Instantly Chance's brain went to work IDing the accent, and almost as quickly came up with Diqui. It made the comments the bouncer made make a lot of sense.

"Tedi?" Jake leaned his body to look around the tabby's. "What are you doing here?

"I, err, live here now," the Maned Wolf shuffled with obvious embarrassment. "In the city, I mean."

Jake responded in Diqui, and the Maned Wolf relaxed significantly. After several exchanges, Jake reached out his hand and was given the Kantin's cell phone. It was obviously old and well-used, but functional. Jake asked something, got a nod and answer, and made quick work of entering some information, probably his phone number, into it.

Whatever he said when he handed it back surprised the hell out of the Maned Wolf, who quickly became bashful and embarrassed.

Jake put an arm on his shoulder and repeated something close to his last statement, to which the Maned Wolf nodded.

"Thank you," he said before going back to his boyfriend as Jake shook his head in disbelief.

"Friend from your corp days?" Chance asked him quietly.

"Yeah," Jake nodded, his eyes still mostly on the Maned Wolf. "The son of somebody I worked with for a few months in Diqui. He should be building rockets, not washing dishes for minimum wage. There are days I really hate Diqui," he shook his head. "The imprisoned his dying father for paying for him to move out here."

"He still alive, as far as you know?" Chance asked him quietly, with a tone Jake wasn't quite familiar with... not from Chance, at any rate, that disconnected tone he'd heard that _he_ got when he was thinking of some new design or gadget. "Or has he died by now?"

"Tedi expects he's dead," Jake sighed. "Brain tumor. Only had a couple months left ten months ago. He was a truly brilliant designer. The grade I hope I'm remembered as in a century or two."

"Damn," Chance sighed, shaking his head. "Any reason he can't get a job in his own field?"

"Not enough recognized education and not enough local smarts to know who to talk to or what else to do," Jake said. "The kid's only nineteen. That's what I was telling him at the end. I know what strings to pull, and how hard. I'm going to be meeting up with him later this week to work out just what he needs to get into college here, pay for it and get work in the field when he's done."

"Good," Chance nodded, then cracked a grin. "So, you'd probably better get back to your date, before Megan thinks you ditched her for me."

"Mmm, though she was teasing me about the mile high club," Jake winked back before turning away.

"Maybe tomorrow," Chance teased back, heading inside to wait for backup as Jake went to get back up to the jet.


	10. The Battle of Quatermass Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While battling the PastMaster, Jake and Chance soon find themselves in the middle of a much, much larger battle than comes with more than a few shocks.

"Ah _krud_ ," Chance snarled as he felt their Enforcer jet, the Black Sun, pulled sideways into the portal PastMaster had created in the middle of the battlefield. "Hold on, this is about to get fun," he warned Jake, trying vainly to hit the boosters to keep from being pulled in, before he gave up and turned to fly with the portal, so they'd save fuel on the way through.

They couldn't be sure if they'd be able to get any on the other side or not.

I'm _really_ starting to hate this guy," Jake growled at they hit the event horizon of the psychedelic swirling disk. "At least the others just shoot at us."

"Let's just hope we don't end up in the Jurassic again," Chance muttered, flying on through and into the heavily clouded sky on the other side. "Keep an eye out for anything coming at us!"

Jake let out a small gasp of shock as both their radar screens went green with slow-moving targets.

"Battle," Jake got out, though it was obvious enough with the shooting and chaotic mass of ancient bi-planes in their prime all around them. "Punch it," he ordered half a breath later. "Get us above this!"

"Will d- shit, Jake, if you shoot anything, make it the grey-green ones!" Chance shouted back, peeling off as they nearly ran into one of them. "And take down the guy I'm getting you a lock on, fast!" He added as he spotted one of the planes going after a blue one he recognized.

"Okay," Jake didn't sound sure, but he locked a missile on and fired the moment he was sure he had a lock. "You want to fight?"

"I'll pick the targets for you," Chance reassured him. "Middle of the Battle of Quatermass Island; grey-green are Lothosian, I'm going for targets going after people I _know_ lived through this battle."

"Krud," Jake hissed under his breath. "Understood. I know most of them too," he added as they turned and he picked off another target with the heavy blasters. "Is it just me, or does our side seem to know us?"

"Well, they're not shooting at us, but I'll take that as a good thing ... see if you can raise somebody on comm?" Chance suggested, pulling into a tight loop to get around behind one of the fighters that was trying to get a lock on them.

"Just a minute, I have to reconfigure for the time," Jake said quickly, his tone the distracted one of being heavily involved in something else. "Just keep us alive."

"Will do," Chance nodded, switching fire control to his station, firing a burst across the nose of one of the Lothosian fighters to get their attention.

By the time he'd shot it and it's wingman down, he could hear the crackle of old radio over the comm.

"This is the Black Sun to Quatermass Island, please respond," Jake spoke calmly and strongly despite the jinking and firing of the jet.

"Welcome back, Black Sun," an absolutely relieved sounding voice responded. "What do you need?"

"Welcome back?" Chance asked Jake. "Did I hear that right?"

"Time travel," Jake sighed, irritated to no end. "In the future, we'll be sent back to earlier in the war," he said before clicking the radio on to transmit. "Is there anything we can do other than shoot down the enemy?"

"We've got a Lothosian battle carrier none of our boys can reach," Command told them. "If you can take it out, there won't be as much AA fire to watch out for."

"Understood and will do," Jake told her. "You heard the lady, let's go trash a carrier," he grinned up at his partner as he got into the battle and adrenaline rush of it.

"On our way," Chance grinned back, turning out towards the ocean and gunning his engines. "Got something special for our Lothosian friends, or sticking with the old standards?"

"Do you remember what carrier it is?" Jake asked, running through his options and pulling of ancient trivia from the back of his memory.

"They had six in this battle," Chance said, jinking to the side as he dodged fire from one of the batteries. "Five standard and one super-carrier ... shit, we can't take out the super," he swore, remembering the details of the battle.

"Then let's blast the others," Jake accepted it without asking for details. He was pretty sure he knew why anyway. "Just get me close to one of the others. We can take out the guns without sinking the ships too if any of them survived."

"Best if we can do that," Chance agreed, diving through the fire of flak cannons, spinning the jet in ways the gunner down below didn't know where possible yet to avoid their shots as he looked to get Jake a good firing angle. It wasn't hard, really. They were both trained and equipped to handle much more advanced AA fire than this, more than a century, two generations, more advanced.

Jake opened up with guns and blasters, saving their missiles for the big jobs that might come up. Turret after turret exploded, leaving the ships largely intact, but defenseless and completely out of the battle.

"EMP buildup detected," the ship's computer announced calmly. 

Chance swore and veered off sharply as a massive electrical blast flew past them. "Kats alive, they actually _have_ a freakin' lightning gun?"

"Not for long," Jake growled as he locked a missile onto the weapon and fired.

As the cannon exploded, another message came through the comm system.

"Blue Manx to Black Sun - I've got a clear path, taking out the Super Carrier! You two get clear and work on the others," he told them, coming in for a bombing run on the huge, heavily armored ship.

"How?" Jake couldn't help himself even as Chance turned them towards the other targets.

"Steelfire," the Blue Manx replied.

"Two hundred pounds of Thermite," Chance translated. "Not even a supercarrier can withstand it when it lands on an ammo depot or fuel storage.

"Understood, Blue Manx," Jake replied. "Sweet bomber," he added to himself as he got a quick look at the armored bi-plane, a truly odd sight, made it's attack run.

"Bomber, fighter - one of the best of its day, either way," Chance agreed. "You and he had a lot in common, really - now c'mon, we've got four more carriers to send packing," he grinned wickedly.

"I think a fanboy moment's coming up in a few hours," Jake snickered to himself before they both focused on ripping into the enemy forces with an abandon and daring they rarely got a chance to display in their own time.

"Black Nights assemble!" The Blue Manx's voice crackled over the primitive radio transmission when the skies had been cleared of enemies and the ships that remained retreated beyond normal range. "You too, Black Sun. R2."

"Yes sir," Chance responded, moving into formation behind the Wizer's right wing.

"You haven't met me yet, have you, Chance?" the voice came back with a bit of a chuckle in it as the other planes, much more typical for the time, formed up.

"Nope," Chance admitted. "I'm guessing we've been here before, in your time."

"Twice that I know of," he said. "It may have been more. You're heavily classified beyond your jet being an ally. We can talk more on the ground."

"Be a pleasure, Blue Manx," Chance grinned. "Think my partner can get a look at Wizer?"

"He helped designer her, I don't see why not," the Blue Manx laughed.

"Remember," Chance chuckled as he turned off his comm, "that means that when we come back to do that, you can't put anything on her you don't see this time around."

"I know, I know," Jake rolled his eyes. "Just building her from what's around in this time will limit the hell out of it. I am kinda surprised it's still a bi-plane."

"Upgrade it any further, and it becomes the obvious target - sort of like we would've been if they'd been able to keep up with us," Chance pointed out. "And there's the limits of the engine... they'd have already moved beyond biplanes if they had the engines to move them fast enough and still be maneuverable."

"True," Jake said, his mind off in designer land as they came into view of the airstrip at Quatermass Island. "I'm still sure I could have fixed that, but I'll keep it in mind. No screwing with the past."

"Blue Manx, this is Black Sun, we can't land with you," Chance said. "Breaking formation for landing."

"Understood Black Sun," he said easily. "See you on the ground."

Chance broke off of formation, finding a safe, flat place near the strip where his exhaust wouldn't incinerate the landing planes and he could slow down to VTOL speeds without somebody crashing into them, doing so and coming down for a gentle landing.

"How much fuel do we have left, and how long is it going to end up taking us to find a way home?" He asked Jake, hoping to get a feel for their situation. Out of gas in wartime would _not_ be a good position to be in.

"I can tweak the engines to accept the local fuel," Jake assured him as they powered down and did the post-flight check. "We'll lose a little by way of thrust, but given the locals, it won't be significant. It's the missiles that can't be replaced with anything respectable. Getting home ... I have no clue. But it sounds like we're here for a reason, so I'd say we're staying until it's finished."

"Peachy... maybe they'll have a mage they can spare after whatever it is is over with," Chance sighed, sliding back the cockpit after the post-flight was through. "At least we landed in an era with indoor plumbing, huh?" He chuckled lowly.

"Oh yeah," Jake grinned and leapt to the ground where quite a crowd was gathering, including a significant amount of the local brass. It was still the Blue Manx that greeted them first.

"Welcome to Quatermass Island," the fit tan tom a bit younger than them extended a hand to Chance.

"Wish I could say I was glad to be here, but you know the situation better than we do from the sound of it," Chance chuckled, shaking his hand. "Glad we were able to be a help though."

"That you have," Gregory Manx grinned at them. "I'm sure the brass has plenty to talk to you about, but catch you at the officer's club when they turn you loose?"

"Sure thing," Chance grinned back. "Can't wait to get a chance to talk to you."

"Fanboy," Jake snickered softly in the background as Gregory turned away, saluted the ranking officers that had gathered and headed off with his wing.

"It is good to have you here, Furlong, Clawson," a Lieutenant Commander that they both quickly recognized as Tedine Feral, greeted them and returned the salute the pair quickly gave him. "Come. We have much to discuss about the situation."

"Yes, sir," Chance said as they both followed the Xanith officer. "Sir, if I may ask, what's the date?"

"August 28th, 2417," he said as they walked to the control tower. "I understand this is, for you, your first time in the war?"

"It is, sir," Chance nodded. "If it helps, you don't have another attack coming for a few weeks, assuming our presence didn't change what's happening. The attack on Quatermass Island was supposed to be Lothos' opening move in what was supposed to be a land invasion; losing the super carrier, they turn back to try and prepare a larger assault force."

"That is what intelligence said would happen," her nodded. "For us, this is your third appearance, and you have already made a huge difference in the war effort. You have turned major battles, and stopped a great evil that came from your time." He fell silent as they went inside and he walked to his office. It was small and cramped, relative to what they were used to, but he was not disgruntled by it either.

"I would say you just turned the tide on another major battle," he said as he shut the door and sat down at his desk. "Please sit."

"Thank you, sir," Chance nodded, taking a seat. "Unfortunately, since this _is_ our first time here, we don't really know what we're supposed to influence, or how it'll affect the future," he admitted.

"They still haven't figured it out, ay?" he chuckled lightly. "Well, I wouldn't hold back. According to you, we win the war. You can't change that by shooting down the enemy."

"It's still under debate, right along with the nature of magic, sir," Jake said.

"As I remember from our old discussions on the subject," Feral pointed out, "there _is_ a school of thought that says you've already done it, we just classified that you were the ones who did it. You should check for reports of UFO's over Lothosian space when you get back in the future, they couldn't believe that we had any allies with that sort of technology."

"That is what I was thinking," Jake nodded. "This war isn't our first time trip, and on some of them being careful was the further away from our concerns as it could get. It would still be best to avoid things that are _too_ blatant. Pictures will be the most difficult."

"You let _us_ worry about that," the Lieutenant Commander chuckled. "This is wartime. We have almost unilateral authority to confiscate anything we need to, and we have."

"You are _so_ lucky you're not trying to operate in modern day MKC," Chance chuckled lowly. "Your grandkits would have a Hell of a time doing that, with some of the reporters we have."

"It's all because we're in a state of war," he said evenly. "We couldn't do it otherwise. I'm fairly sure your current Commander could as well, if things got this bad again. National security goes a long way in war.

"But on to what you actually need to know," Feral shifted topics. "While you are here, you are part of the Black Knights under Captain Manx. I expect new orders to come down soon though, so enjoy the free time while you have it. You'll likely be shifted to the front lines somewhere, or head to battles all over the world, if half of what I've heard about that bird of yours is true.

"Since you are new to this time, is there anything I can answer for you?" he offered. "I understand you are both history buffs of a sort."

"Of a sort," Chance agreed. "I've got war history, Jake's got tech ... I don't suppose our money's any good here?"

"Let me see it," he extended a hand.

Chance pulled out his wallet, handing over a few bills.

"I'm sure our cards won't be - don't think they even had them yet," he admitted as Feral examined his money. "I've always preferred being knocked into the future, for reasons like this."

"No, your cards won't work, but your money is good," he handed the bills back. "I wouldn't worry about it much though. There's nothing to pay for on the island, and by the time you're assigned anywhere else, you'll have a paycheck from us for what little might not be on base somewhere. Plus pilots almost never get to pay for their own drinks or meals," he smiled a little knowingly. 

"We'll keep it in mind," he nodded. "I'm more of a buff on the tactics than how troops got by," he admitted. "So, anything else we should ask about, Jake?" He asked, looking at his markedly quiet partner.

The lean tom glanced at him, and Chance recognized that distance gaze all too well; plotting.

He couldn't be surprised, really.

"Just how much of a secret are we, to our own forces?" Jake asked evenly as he focused a little more on the conversation.

"Once Manx outfits you to look like one of his unit, you won't have much to hide," Feral chuckled. "I understand you are Black Knights in your own time?"

"We are," Chance chuckled. "Sir... you've probably already heard this from me before, but I do have skills besides being a pilot. In an actual war, I can use them, as long as I get to tell you if a target's off-limits because of the time-line."

"Yes, I have heard of your abilities out of the air," Feral nodded. "That is not a call I am likely to make, though other CO's may. You are far more valuable as a pilot to me here on the island."

"Lieutenant Commander, Are there any ... special projects ... we are likely to be called in on?" Jake asked a little uneasily.

"I'm sure there are," he admitted. "I do not know what, however, or when. All I've been told is that Command may take the Black Knights from me for a series of special deliveries if the war doesn't end soon."

"Ah... _those_ special projects," Chance murmured, searching his memory to see how long they had before they'd be expected to fly those missions. If he was right, it wasn't going to be something he liked.

The look and nod Jake gave him just confirmed it. The A-bomb. History had credited the Black Knights as a squadron, and never named who had the load, or if all of them did.

It was also a solid two years away.

He _really_ hoped they wouldn't be here that long.

"I'm sure they know just how much I can speed things up," Jake sighed, looking down. "We'll do whatever the war needs us to."

"I know you will," Feral said with an equally grave nod. "You will also receive credit for all you have done when you get back to your own time. Kills, medals, time and promotions have all been arranged to transfer forward. I do not know the details of how, just that it will happen."

"Times like this I really wish I didn't have to worry about changing the future," Chance mused. "My folks could really benefit from me leaving them half my paychecks for a hundred years or so interest."

"They wouldn't get it, somehow," Jake said with a certainty that was entirely inappropriate for such a debatable subject.

"Okay, before this breaks into a temporal physics/alternate dimensions debate, do what you think is right," Feral held up his hands and actually laughed deeply. "You enjoy the party. You two and Manx are the heroes of the hours after all."

"Yes Sir," Chance grinned, saluting the Lieutenant Commander before he and Jake turned to leave.

"You think you might be the guy who built it?" He asked Jake quietly, once they were out of earshot.

"Not by myself, no," he shook his head sharply as they walked. "That I may have given a critical breakthrough or two in a needed moment, it's reasonably likely. Care to help pick out a girl for me tonight? Assuming there's a free one."

"Heh - no problem," Chance winked. "I'll just keep an eye out for girlfriends each looking to get some," he grinned. "Want me to tell you if I spot a guy who's interested?" He asked more quietly.

Jake bit his lower lip, seriously torn, and nodded. "Yeah, if you're sure."

"Only if I'm _damn_ sure," Chance nodded. "Don't worry - I'll mostly be on the lookout for nurses," he grinned, clapping a hand on Jake's shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll find a couple cute sisters to dance with," Jake snickered. "Don't worry if you don't spot somebody for me. You know I can enjoy a night working on the jet just as well."

"Hey guys!" one of the Black Knights, dark brown tabby with a Lieutenant Junior Grade bar, waved at them when they stepped outside. "Gregory told me to wait for you, show you around. I bet you don't even know where you're sleeping yet, or the mess, much less the officer's club."

"Nope," Chance admitted even as he IDed the youth as Arden Sharpclaw. "Though I'm hoping the Club's in the same place it'll be at in our time," he chuckled. "You know they haven't remodeled this place since it was built, probably won't for another hundred and fifty years after _I_ retire," he winked.

"Well, I've give you a quick tour," he said, motioning to an open top jeep. "It's probably all where you remember it. Sleeping quarters isn't much to speak of," he grumbled as they all got on board, and for once Chance didn't get to drive. "Everywhere else, officers get their own quarters and flight crews get the best. Here, we're in open barracks. They've been promising for a year to build more officer's quarters, but it's not exactly a priority, you know. The only thing they've done is make sure that each wing gets it's own bay."

"Bet it makes nights like tonight noisy," Chance chuckled lowly. "Or is there somewhere else to crash for that sort of situation?"

"If you hook up with a girl, they usually have private quarters, or at least only a couple roommates," he told them. "That's the mess," he pointed to a building as they drove by. "And that one's the commissary. Most of us try not to go back to our barracks with a date. It doesn't always go over well."

"We'll keep it in mind; thanks for the heads up," Chance nodded. "We're not looking to cause trouble or anything."

"Is he always this well behaved?" Arden shot a look back at Jake, who chuckled softly and shook his head. "Relax, you're a Black Knight. We're the best of the best. We fly fast, fight hard, and party wild."

"Yeah, but I'm still in 'guest' mindset," Chance chuckled. "Back home, you'd never believe the trouble I can get in," he winked.

"That much is true," Jake snickered. "He's a wild one when he's behaving."

"You'll fit right in then," Arden grinned. "Here's our barracks," he pointed to a building on the right and handed over a couple keys to Jake. "It's not much, but it's a real roof. Better than the front line, not nearly as good as the home front."

"We'll find a couple bunks that haven't been claimed whenever we get back," Chance chuckled. "Anywhere else on the ten-cent tour?"

"Just the officer's club," he grinned as he turned the jeep around. "It'll be a real party tonight, and all the drink is free. About the only perk of this place, really."

"Yeah, but what a perk," Chance grinned. "Especially since we probably know a recipe or two your guys don't yet."

"Oh boy," Jake laughed deeply. "This'll be a wild night."

"That's the idea," Chance winked. "A few atomics can make the party a real blast."

"Keep that talk up and you'll get stuck behind that bar," Arden warned him with a snicker and pulled into a packed parking lot outside a club that was already in full swing. "Go ahead," he stopped by the door. "I'll be in when I park this thing."

"See you there," Chance grinned, climbing out with Jake and heading in, already looking around for the Blue Manx.

"There," Jake pointed to him, still wearing the leather pilot's jacket and scarf that we wore in the air and laughing it up with part of his wing and quite a crowd of girls, some in uniforms, but most in dresses.

A muscular black Kat nudged Manx's ribs and pointed at the door, and his grin lit up.

"There you are!" Gregory called out and strode towards them. "The heroes of the day! Folks! Attention!" he nearly yelled to draw everyone's attention from what they were doing. Even the live band stopped playing. "I'd like to introduce you to the team that flies that incredible black beauty that saved our tails today."

A huge cheer exploded from the room, a combination of cheer and welcome and thanks.

"Chance 'Sundance' Furlong, pilot, and Jake 'Raven' Clawson, gunner, of the Black Sun!" Gregory called out to everyone to continued cheering and greetings. "And they are _mine_!" he added with a possessive grin.

"No you don't," Chance grinned, grabbing Jake's shoulder before the lean tom could find a way to bolt and lose himself in working on the Black Sun. "This is what comes with bein' a hero, remember? Now c'mon," he chuckled, hauling Jake up to the bar.

"You wanted to be the hero," Jake complained, though he didn't resist being hauled off, or the first drink of many he'd have that night as he tried to relax at the center of attention.

"You just worry about bragging about Blackie," Chance smirked, quickly filling the bartender in on how to make a couple of his favorite drinks and taking one of them, sizing up the room to see just what their company looked like tonight.

From the looks of the ladies, they'd be spoiled for choice. A few were clearly taken, but most gave the newcomers more than a lingering glance. The really noticeable thing to him was the almost complete lack of pure-blood Xanith, and the absolute absence of Kantin of any kind. They weren't common in modern times, but they were always around.

Chance couldn't help a private smile when he felt Jake begin to relax as talk with his new wingmates turned towards their plane and Jake's work on it.

He grinned at a pair of tabby shekats who were looking he and Jake over ... they were dressed much more conservatively than he was used to with skirts well below the knee and dresses up the collarbone and down the arms, and he had to remind himself that they were being fairly provocative for the time. 

After a moment, he took another look over the various shekats, and realized that those he could see who had insignia of any sort were wearing nurse markers, or administrative... no pilot's wings or anything of the sort. It was a stark reminder of the differences between his time and this one ... he had to wonder what they'd think of his wing commander being a woman. 

He chuckled lowly at the thought as he got a new drink, already starting to feel nicely buzzed ... whatever they were using, it was as potent as it was good.

It also sunk in that for all the looks he was getting, none of them had made a move towards him. A little looking reminded him why; it wasn't socially appropriate for them to here. It was the guy doing the moves.

"Hey, Jake," Chance asked during a lull in the conversation. "What you think of the nurses over there?" He asked, nodding towards the two tabbies.

"If they're nice, they are pretty," Jake agreed, most of his attention on a technical conversation with Gregory.

"When things wind down, why don't we go have a chat with 'em ... unless you'd rather I bring 'em over?" Chance asked him.

"Sure," Jake agreed without paying much attention to what he was agreeing to.

Chance could only chuckle, roll his eyes and start to mingle. At this rate, his partner wasn't going to be interested in a date with anyone but the Blue Manx.

Not that he could blame him - he'd be more than happy for a night with him, himself. He just hoped that Jake remembered not to try anything unless it was tried with him first ... he had no _clue_ if Greg was anything but straight, history hadn't really addressed that beyond the fact that he had married and had kits. And being wrong these days could be a serious problem, which Jake knew well enough.

Girls giggled and gave him flirting eyes, hoping to catch his attention as he moved away from his squad and into the main room. One girl walking in the door caught his attention though, mostly for being different. She wasn't in uniform, she didn't have any insignia, but she was dressed like a pilot, and no one gave her gruff for it.

Then again, being a Feral from her looks, if a short and lightly-build one, that wasn't a smart idea.

"Hey, beautiful," he smiled, walking over towards her. "You a pilot?" He asked her, without the usual tone of incredulity or disbelief he was sure she was used to.

"Yap," she grinned at him even as she accepted a mixed drink from the bartender. "I saw you come in through that whirling disk. You made quite a difference today. Thank you," she added much more seriously, though the look only lasted a moment. "Furlong, right? The Sundancer."

"That's me," he grinned. "And you're Agetha Feral?" He guessed, hoping he had her name right. She wasn't a household name like the Blue Manx, but he knew he'd heard of a Feral civilian pilot at Quatermass, and she was the most likely candidate.

"Yes," she looked honestly surprised. "I'm remembered that long?"

"Not _widely_ known," he admitted. "But to folks who follow fighter pilots? Yeah," he smiled. "One of the first female fighter pilots, _and_ a civilian doing her part for the war effort right out there with the troops? You're definitely remembered. My flight leader's a major fan," he chuckled.

Agetha blushed, an odd look for a Feral, but one that made her look rather endearing. "Glad to know I made enough of a difference to make mark." She hesitated, then shook her head and took a sip of her drink. "How do you ever get that much metal to fly so fast?" she asked instead. "She's incredible to watch, but she doesn't look possible."

"Jake's better to answer that question, but the basics are the wonders of the jet engine," Chance explained. "Metal planes started out when we managed to get gas motors running a better horsepower, and from there we moved to jets - instead of props, they compress air and fuel and just shoot fire and sheer thrust out the other end. Y'want to take a look?" He offered, finishing his second drink and feeling more than buzzed enough that he shouldn't drive, much less fly.

"Yes!" she all but squealed, though she managed to keep it on just this side of appropriate. "That would be great," she purred and hooked her arm around his. "Want a drink for the road?"

"I shouldn't," he chuckled. "They make 'em pretty strong here," he admitted. "Guessing there's a bit more than just alcohol in most of the drinks?"

"You seem fine to me," Agetha looked honestly surprised, and considered her own drink before glancing at the bartender.

"Nothing illegal," he promised them with a chuckle. "You don't seem drunk at all, sir."

"Not wasted, but I wouldn't want to fly like this," Chance chuckled, shaking his head. "Even driving might be a little iffy... which you guys haven't heard of," he guessed, with the looks he was being given.

"DUI's decades away," Jake commented just loud enough for Chance to catch.

"Yes, but it's okay," Agetha promised. "Now, you mentioned showing me that beautiful Black Sun of yours?"

"Sure thing," he grinned, knowing full well that she was flirting with him, but just as intent on making sure she _did_ get to look the jet over before anything else happened.

Besides, if he remembered correctly, she was the Commander's daughter... it'd be good to at least _try_ to be interested in something other than getting in her panties. He turned around, leading her out and towards the field where they'd left their bird. It felt weird, leaving her out in the open by the runway like that, but it was what everyone did. There weren't any hangars here, wouldn't be for decades; not until the jets arrived and they had to pave the airstrip.

"We can take one of the jeeps," Agetha suggested, surprised when he seemed to be walking towards the planes.

"Think I'd rather walk," he smiled. "The weather's nice, and maybe it'll take some of the buzz off," he explained. "Maybe enough that I can take you up for a spin, if you'd like," he winked.

"You partner wouldn't object?" she shivered at the idea and completely lost any idea of taking a jeep. "It must be incredible, flying so fast."

"Oh it is," he grinned. "And not at all - he took a date up just a couple days before we got here, so we'll be even," he winked as the brisk night air and sea breeze _did_ help to clear his head a bit, though he knew full damn well he wasn't sober enough for duty, and wouldn't be for three or four hours at least.

"Mmm, you'll spoil me for my little bird," she purred. "What's it like, in your time? You said your wingleader looked up to me?"

"Well, for one thing, we've got men and women both on our squad. The Black Knight's leader is actually a fem," he explained. "Other wings have Kantin and Xanith too ... it's a lot more integrated than it is now, at all levels."

"Really?" her eyes went wide. "You answer to a shekat?"

"Hell, one of your great-grand-nieces is the second-in-command of the Enforcers," he chuckled, looking up at a night sky clearer than anything he could remember seeing even _near_ the city. "Felina's a real spitfire, and she'll make a good Commander when the time comes. This war is pretty much the death knell for gender segregation, in a lot of ways ... some folks stick to it, but it's hard to argue that women aren't suited for combat duty when some of them were better at it than a lot of the guys."

"Wow," Agetha smiled wistfully. "At least some good will come of it then. I wish I could see it," she signed. "I'll be stuck as somebody's wife when this is over. I only get away with what I do because Dad finds it less difficult to let me fly than to try and make me a proper lady around here. It won't last once I've had my coming out party and my aunts start to look for my husband in earnest."

Chance hoped she had the chance... but from what he remembered, she wouldn't. Too many people in this war, on both sides, wouldn't have the chance to get on with their lives. Not for the first time, he had to wonder if they were the lucky ones or not, but he shook the funk off before it was noticed. 

"Well, you never know what'll happen," he chuckled. "Who knows, maybe you'll end up finding some pilot who doesn't mind having a wife who's as good in the air as he is," he grinned.

"Mmm, now _that_ marriage I think I could enjoy," she purred deeply and leaned against him, her warmth and aroused scent doing quite a number on his alcohol-buzzed brain and body. "I don't think there are any Kats like that that'll be around after the war though."

"Well, y'never know," he purred, leaning back against her lightly, his own arousal clear in his scent. "You might find somebody... or maybe you'll find somebody to elope with, when the time's right," he chuckled.

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow and purred deeply. "Somebody like you, perhaps?"

"Uhm ... we'll have to see about that," he blushed, stammering in shock that she'd take it that way. "Wouldn't that be moving a little fast, even for a couple of pilots?" He teased her lightly to try and cover for it.

"You're from a time it sounds like I belong in," Agetha chuckled. "I already know you better than I would my husband when we're married if my family has anything to do about it."

"You're probably right," he admitted. "But you've got things to do in this time yet... and to be honest, I'm not sure if it'd even be possible."

"I know," she sighed and leaned against him. "Girl's got to have her fantasies, you know?"

"Well, why don't you let me go show you one of them," he smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and hugging her lightly as they approached the Black Sun.

"She looks so unreal," she purred, her eyes wide as she took in a craft that looked far more like a bird than anything of her time. "Beautiful, though. Did you and your partner build her yourselves?"

"No, but Jake designed her himself," Chance purred, giving the jet a caress. "The entire line, actually. He's got a private jet he built himself, but we don't use her out in the field."

"Why is he an Enforcer, if he can do something like that?" she glanced at him, though most of her attention was on the aircraft that was far beyond anything conceived of.

"He likes the challenge," Chance chuckled, sliding the cockpit back as she looked up wistfully and more than a little in awe. "Want a look at the interior?"

"Of course," Agetha giggled, the first time she really seemed like a local, and climbed up. With one foot on the leading edge of the wing and the other dangling, she leaned forward to stare into the back seat. "How does he see what he's shooting at like this?"

"You familiar with radar?" Chance asked her, climbing up after her, enjoying the view from below while he could.

"No," she glanced down at him and smiled at the look he was giving his view. "Is that how he controls the guns?"

"It's how he finds his targets... the guns we control a couple different ways, but for the most part I point the plane at it and he shoots it. There's a lot of concepts that you guys don't have here, honestly," he admitted. "Rockets that steer themselves, for one thing."

Agetha stared down at him with opened-eyes disbelief. "Next you'll be telling me the plane can fly herself," she said.

"Not well, but Jake's working on it... it's complicated," he admitted. "You know how you can lock the stick in place when you just need to keep going straight?"

"Yes," she nodded easily. "It's an improved version of that?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "A lot of this stuff comes out of developing computers... lets us put a series of commands into something, and it goes ahead and carries out the commands itself," he explained, climbing into the pilot's seat. "The problem is when you need it to make decisions for you ... why I'm not out of a job," he chuckled.

"They'll always need pilots," she said and followed his lead and got into the gunner's seat behind him. "Nothing will take the importance of air superiority out of war now that it exists."

"Doesn't change every war," he murmured, remembering too well what it was like, hearing the bombers flying overhead and knowing they weren't going to do a damn bit of good and never would. It was only the choppers that brought any kind of support, and it was never enough for the targets they made of themselves.

"Something you've seen," she didn't have to guess.

"It shows that much?" he glanced back and saw a gentle smile instead of ... whatever he'd been expecting.

"My grandfather and his brothers get that look when they're remembering something they'd rather be able to forget," she said softly, her voice gentle and accepting. "I think anyone who fights in a war gets that look sooner or later. You don't grow up a Feral without knowing that look."

"Seems to be the case," he admitted. "The war I was in, air support didn't do much good. Thick jungle, fighting guerillas... air superiority is only helpful when you've got something to be superior to, and a target to hit after that."

"We've never had a war like that," she said, only to correct herself. "Not in a long time anyway. Ugly, ugly battles."

"Yeah," Chance nodded. "Why don't you strap yourself in while I get Jake to okay a trip up?" He told her, pulling out his comm as she checked out the complex control panel in front of her that bore no resemblance to anything she'd seen before.

"Hey, Jake?"

"What's up?" Jake's voice went from startled to tense almost instantly at the surprise call.

"Nothin' wrong, Jake - if there was, I'd be a _lot_ louder," Chance chuckled, rolling his eyes at his partner's perpetual assumption of the worst. Still, as bad habits went, it wasn't that bad a one. "Wondering if you'd mind if I took one Agetha Feral up for a spin? I'll stay within a couple minutes of the island, and out of enemy territory, though if I spot somebody sneaking towards us it's their fault."

"Sure, just bring them _both_ back in one piece," Jake chuckled. "I do not want to be the one explaining to her father why she's missing."

"If we go missing, blame it on his daughter deciding to jet-jack me and elope to the future," Chance smirked. "I'll be back by morning, promise," he said, starting the engines before looking back at her. "How are you in a hard dive?" He asked her.

"I'm good," she grinned, her tail twitching in excitement, and just a bit of healthy fear. "Show me what you can do, hotshot."

"You start getting woozy, let me know," he said seriously, starting the VTOL sequence. "I can pull a _lot_ of G's in this thing, even without a suit, but I've trained for it," he explained, taking off as he saw a crowd gathering outside to watch.

"I'll tell you," she promised, her head going every which way as she tried to see all around her at once as they lifted off, almost directly up. "The power this would take..." she breathed in amazement.

"It's pretty impressive," he acknowledged, pulling away from the island, flipping on the radar display. "Let me know if anything back there starts flashing, okay? I don't _think_ Lothos has anything radar guided, but if they do, it'd _really_ suck to find out the hard way."

"I will. They shouldn't still be around. Our ships are still chasing them towards Lothos," she said. "You don't feel the wind," she said to herself. "It's strange, going so fast without any wind."

"You get used to it," Chance chuckled. "Besides, as fast as we're going, you'll be glad for it. I can't go sub-orbital in the Raven, but want to see just how high I can take us? Get up high enough, there isn't any real wind to feel."

"Please," she breathed, nearly begging in her excitement at the idea of seeing something so extraordinary, something no tom could say they'd seen.

"Usually my dates don't sound like that until _after_ we've gone back to my place," Chance smirked, nosing up and going into the steepest climb he could handle without overdoing the G's, spinning on the way up to give her a full, panoramic view of the clear night sky.

He couldn't help but grin at the squeals of delight and amazement coming from the back seat. He honestly couldn't remember a date, including Jake, that was this excited by his flying. She was like a little plane-crazy kit getting her first flight and having it be with a Golden Eagle.

It was a thrill all it's own to be the cause of that response. The arousal from both of them filling the cockpit didn't hurt either.

He began to even out at a few miles up, well above any cloud cover there had been.

"You okay back there?" He asked her, knowing that pushing her limits like this the first time up could either be incredible, or Hell on her system, especially with the alcohol they'd both been drinking.

"Oh yes," she purred headily. "How can we breath this high? How can the engines breath?"

"Pressure," Chance explained. "The way the engines work, they spread the fuel through the air at incredibly high pressures, so it can still ignite. Inside here, we've got air vents keeping the cockpit under pressure ... matter of fact, when we come down, you'll probably have to swallow a few times, adjust to being at ground-level again. If we get up too much higher, or start going too fast, I've got air masks for both of us."

"Masks that let us breath?" she guessed, watching the clouds from above, and the stars above them. "Sundance ... it's flashing," she said suddenly.

"Hang on," he said, checking his display and then nosing into a dive. "Probably local, but I want to be sure. Let me know if you recognize ID lighting."

"Okay," Agetha nodded, her eyes forward and to the side as they punched through the clouds and the blackness of the nighttime sea and the minuscule dot of night he was aiming for. She could see well off to their left the outline of the island base, and further away, the lights of Anakata and beyond that, the glimmer of the mainland.

He brought the jet a bit more level as they got close enough to see patterns.

"That's one of ours," she told him quickly.

"Might need to talk to Jake about faking mini-transponders," Chance murmured. "Thanks for the ID; want to head back up, or find somewhere nice and private to touch down and stretch your legs for a bit?"

"Mmm, there's a pink sand beach on Little Anakata that just local fisherman and seaplanes can visit," she purred throatily. "I've always wanted to visit it."

"Be a little dark, but we can get there," Chance grinned, turning towards the island. "VTOL's great for coming down in small places like that."

"I bet," she purred, audibly excited. "What does VTOL stand for?"

"Vertical take-off and landing," Chance explained, slowing down as they approached the island, coming down for a straight landing onto the rocky middle of the island. "It's a lot trickier for most jets, honestly, but Jake's just about perfected it ... comes of having a rocket scientist for a Mom, I guess," he chuckled.

"And being a jet designer himself," she purred as the canopy slid back. "Ah, it always smells so good on these islands," she breathed deeply, relaxing in the cockpit for a moment before she leapt to the ground.

Chance followed her down, taking a sniff himself. It was a lot better than the industrial areas he was used to, even in his time, but back now, smelling it without the usual traces of heavy tourism in the air, it was incredible.

"You're right," he purred, walking down to the beach along with her. "Really never been out to this one before?"

"Oh, I've been to the Big Island, and Ka'asat''a, but I've never had the time to get a fisherman to take me out here," she shook her head and carefully picked her way down to the beach. "I don't trust those seaplanes. They crash too often."

"The waves," he nodded. "Can't really blame you... safe water landings is the one thing Jake's still working on," he admitted. "I try to avoid them, myself."

"I'm sure he'll get it," she giggled as they reached the sandy edge and she sat down to take off her boots and aviator jacket. "The engine in your Black Sun is probably powerful enough to fly a plane that can handle the waves."

"Yeah, but that much metal doesn't like to float," he chuckled, following her example by taking off his boots and sitting down next to her. "You like the water?" He asked her.

"When it's warm, and I'm not ditching," she chuckled, wiggling her toes in the soft pink sand. "Sharks, those I'm not so fond of, and they're all over around here."

"I've always thought that open water was a Bad Idea, myself," Chance chuckled, relieved that he wasn't going to have to explain not knowing how to swim. "Way too many ways it can go wrong."

"And not that many ways it can go right," Agetha smiled in the darkness, looking up at the bright stars as she leaned against him. "Sundance .... did we ... win?" she asked softly, knowing she shouldn't but needing to hear it anyway.

"Yeah," he nodded. "We did. Helluva price tag, but we win. And I can't tell you how," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders lightly. "Classified, these days."

"Not even my father knows," she nodded, leaning against him with a contented sound. "That usually means it's either so revolutionary no one is sure it'll work, or it'd cause dissent in the ranks," she murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder and snuggling in. "As long as we win, it'll be worth it. It has to be."

"We're still debating that when _I'm_ fighting," Chance chuckled lowly, rubbing her shoulder lightly. "But we do win," he promised her.

"Good," she smiled and rested a hand on his leg, rubbing lightly as she looked out to sea.

"Yeah," he smiled, looking over at her. He decided to take a gamble, and leaned over to kiss her cheek gently. He quickly found the touched turned into, and didn't resist at all when their lips met and she shifted a bit to press her forebody against his.

"Thought you'd never do that," she purred as she slid her arms around his neck.

"Mmm ... wasn't sure if I'd get punched," he teased, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her more deeply as he relaxed back, drawing her down on top of him.

"You could take it," she moaned softly as her legs slid apart, letting her clothed sex rub against his hard cock. "I'm not your typical girl."

"Never thought you were," he rumbled, kissing her again, reaching down to toy with the buttons of her shirt. "Let me know when you want me to stop?" He asked her, starting to open her shirt as he pressed his crotch up against hers.

"Dawn," she moaned, pressing down with a whimper as she pressed forward against his hands, her own working on opening up the less familiar flight suit he was wearing.

"Let's trade," he rumbled rolling over on top of her, leaning up so he could unzip his suit and start to slip it off, following it with his sweat-soaked t-shirt and boxers. Even in the darkness, it was hard to miss the lust in her eyes as she stripped down as well.

"You really are nicely endowed," she purred deeply and reached out to cup his balls. "I bet you get no lack of attention."

"Bet you get it too," he rumbled, groaning as she squeezed his balls lightly. "Thank you though... mmm... how often have you done this before?" He asked, reaching down to fondle her firm, young breasts as she made an absolutely wanton display of her strong, muscular body.

"A few times," she purred, her eyes closed in pleasure as her fingers slid up his shaft to stroke him. "Mostly with Black Knights. Everyone else is afraid of my father."

"Mmm ... you blame 'em?" He moaned, thrusting lightly into her hand, sliding his down to finger her slick sex. "You're beautiful, Agetha," he murmured, kissing her as he pressed a finger up into her body.

"He's a big pussy-cat," Agetha arched and moaned, her fingers closing around his shaft tightly. "Want something better than fingers," she whimpered, her hips rocking against his hand in the soft sand bed they were quickly building.

Chance slid between her legs without a word, sealing his lips against hers as he pressed his throbbing cock into her hot, hungry sex. Feeling how ready for him she was, he started thrusting, groaning deeply into her mouth as her hips moved to meet his with each thrust, as into their mating as any girl he'd been with.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him, her body squeezing down around him as she began to tremble, already right on the edge of coming and not showing any signs of trying to hold back. He threw his head back with a roar as he poured his first load of seed into her pussy, not breaking rhythm for a moment as he fucked her through his orgasm, his barbed shaft flaring up inside of her with each pulse, the rubbery nubs along its length working her insides.

With a cry of ecstasy she bit down on his shoulder, her claws needling his back as her body rippled around him, milking him for every drop and mewing into his mouth as she continued to rock her hips against his. 

* * *

"So, is Sundancer taking requests, Raven?" A lean, black-furred tabby tom, dark steel-grey stripes barely standing out from his black fur, asked as he sat down next to Jake after Chance had taken off with his date for the night. Jake's eye was drawn briefly to the blue tips of the tom's scarf... it struck something in his memory, but he couldn't remember what exactly.

"Hu?" Jake blinked.

"For flights in the Black Sun," the dark tom chuckled.

"Probably, but I can fly her too," Jake grinned back. "And you'd actually still have your stomach with me. But I'm betting they aren't back till dawn."

"Heh - if he went off with who I think he did, I don't doubt it," the tom grinned, offering Jake his hand. "Sam Neillson, but you can call me Jumper."

"Jake Clawson," he shook the tom's hand. "Just how'd you end up as Jumper?"

"Wingwalker before the war started," he explained. "My pilot and our engine got shot up our first time up, and I had the choice of a controlled crash, or crazy. I picked crazy, jumped from the plane and onto the wings of a Lothosian job, KO'ed the pilot and flew it in from the empty gunner's seat," he grinned. "I was just lucky the pilot didn't have an extra gunner with him."

"Oh my god, you _are_ crazy," Jake laughed hard enough to draw some attention to them, though it was clear enough he was not only honestly impressed, but approved of it. "You would _so_ fit in with our squad. We're all a bunch of crazies."

"Hey, I made good money pulling stunts like that before the war," Sam laughed. "Y'wanna find somewhere a little quieter to relax some?" He offered, sipping his beer.

"Sure," Jake grinned and stood, getting a fresh dark ale for himself before they walked out.

"I know a few places where there's a bit more privacy on the island," Sam promised, leading him out to one of the jeeps. "Y'have to find 'em somewhere, or you'll go nuts," he chuckled.

"I bet," Jake grinned at him and easily hopped into the front passenger seat. "I understand the living accommodations leave a lot to be desired that way."

"Tell me about it," Sam agreed, rolling his eyes. "Some of the guys got together and got a place on the other side of the island," he explained, "and I've got the keys tonight," he grinned, his tail flicking over Jake's lap lightly.

Jake's gaze flicked to the tail, then to Sam. "Umm, this is going to sound weird, but do you know me?"

"I know it's your first time here, from your end," Sam chuckled. "I haven't really talked to you much on your last two trips, but I've picked up the cues... you and Sundancer are a couple, aren't you?" He asked, a bit more quietly than he had to to keep from being heard while they drove on a deserted dirt road. "Don't worry about admitting it if you are; I like toms too."

Jake hesitated, then nodded. "Though obviously not exclusive. I couldn't keep up with him even if he was that into toms," he cracked a sheepish grin.

"Heh - fair enough," Sam grinned. "The scarf's what you should be on the lookout for," he explained. "The blue tip... most folks don't know it, but it's a good step."

"Noted," he nodded. "How many are on the island, that aren't taken?"

"None of us are taken exclusively," Sam chuckled. "Wouldn't really work out. I know of fourteen, though I doubt everyone's out enough to be involved at all around here."

"At least you have a few folks to hang with that you don't have to be too cautious around," Jake smiled, then shook his head. "So what are you into?"

"Mmm ... most anything. Topping, bottoming... I take the 'crazy' into the bedroom once in a while, but I don't need it," he winked, driving out towards the edge of the small town that had been built on Quatermass Island to support the base while Jake laughed.

"Not what I meant, but okay," he continued to chuckle. "I didn't realize I was getting picked up when we left," he said a little sheepishly.

"Figures," Sam chuckled. "You mind? And what _did_ you mean?"

"I don't mind, but I can't say I'm interested," Jake tried to be nice about it. "And I meant in general. I'm a gunner for my paycheck, but I'm a jet designer by trade and interest. You said you were a wingwalker, but did you do anything else for fun?"

"Not even for a one-nighter?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "Anyways, mostly that ... flying ... some reading, of course, though I have to be careful about where I keep my stuff," he chuckled.

Jake leaned against the door a bit so he was better angled to look at Sam, honestly considering him and the situation. The dark tom was attractive, but in an abstract way, not the way that sparked any real interest. He couldn't come up with anything to object to, just a general lack of desire.

Of course, having two very potent drinks in him was not helping the situation, even if he was anything but drunk yet.

"I am sorry, Sam, but I'll be too drunk for most of the night to be much fun that way," he tried to explain something that he knew from experience made no sense to pretty much everybody else. "At least if you are looking for more than a tight ass to pound. You've got better odds of fun with Chance."

"Cheap date, huh?" He chuckled. "Tell you what - why don't we stop over, I can show you some of my things, and we'll see if I decide that tight ass sounds good," he purred. "Or if I pick up one of the other guys while you're sleeping it off."

"Sure, though it's more an incredibly low sex drive and drinking takes my mind everywhere else," Jake shook his head. "It's how I got where I am as young as I am."

"Fair enough," Sam smiled. "So, what do you like? Westerns, spy stories, detective pieces, sci-fi, somethin' else?"

Jake couldn't help but laugh, though it was a much more self-deprecating sound this time. "Tech manuals, and a bit of sci-fi for ideas. Four years as partners and Chance is still trying to teach me how to have a life."

"Heh - well, all the more reason to show you a few of the right things to read," Sam laughed, pulling up by the small house and parking in front of it, heading around to help Jake out of the car. "Maybe you can tell me just how wrong they got it," he smirked. 

* * *

Jake came around quickly, his eyes snapping open the moment his brain registered the unfamiliar surroundings and unfamiliar body next to him. He could feel the hint of a hangover, he hadn't had quite enough water before sleeping, but not enough that he'd been truly drunk by any standard.

"Mornin'," Sam murmured, starting to stir himself as he felt Jake moving. "What time is it?"

That was enough to click Jake's brain in on what had happened. He was on Quatermass Island in the middle of MegaWar II, and he'd given in and let this Kat fuck him because it cost less energy than saying no would. He knew Sam thought he was too drunk to get it up, and that much had been true, even though he couldn't make himself get more than lightly buzzed when there was any credible chance he'd be call to duty.

"Morning," Jake replied, looking around for a clock as Sam reached down and around Jake's body to stroke his sheath lightly. "'bout five am," he said before he slipped from the bed.

"Head feelin' any clearer now? Either of 'em?" Sam chuckled and followed him.

"Not enough to want to play," Jake told him as he walked to the bathroom. He knew the answer was a lie if the partner had been right, but the intend behind it wasn't. He really needed to get better at saying 'no' when he wasn't interested. It was just hard to put that much effort into it most days.

"You weren't kidding about a low sex drive," Sam frowned a bit. He'd been with more than one guy who was soused before - more than Jake was, by far - but most of them were at least interested in the morning, except for the religious hardballs who wouldn't have done it if they _weren't_ plastered. "Well, lemme know if you can't find anything in the shower. Have a cover lined up?"

"No," he shook his head and looked over his shoulder towards Sam's voice while he turned the shower on. "I was going to ask you about it."

"We usually double-alibi a couple girls from the base who don't do guys," Sam told him. "Just tell 'em you spent the night with a tuxedo-marked shekat; her name's Julie, if anybody asks."

"Understood," Jake nodded and stepped under the hot spray with a low groan of pleasure. "Thanks."

"So, how do you and Sundancer usually cover for each other?" Sam asked him easily, leaning back against the bathroom wall as Jake showered. "Seems somebody'd figure out it sooner or later, with everybody he must bring back to your place."

"The cover pretty much _is_ everybody he brings back," Jake chuckled as he wetted down his fur. "How can a tom who brings home a new girl two or three times a week possibly be gay? As for me, my lack of a sex drive and inability to notice when I'm being hit on has been the running joke since well before I joined the Enforcers. The apartment is still set up with two bedrooms, and his dates go to his room, not the master, plus we lived together for three years before we started sleeping together and _everybody_ knows it's because I have a deep-seated paranoia about protecting what's important to me, which was true at the time. I wasn't interested then."

"Heh - probably factors in," Sam nodded. "How is he?"

"Hu?" Jake looked at him with an honestly bewildered expression.

"In bed!" Sam couldn't help but laugh. "You really _don't_ see these things, do you?"

"There's a reason geeks don't get laid often," Jake chuckled. "He's intense with endurance to spare. Literally fucked me unconscious that first night."

"Damn... I'm guessing he's the one who came on to you?" Sam chuckled.

"Actually, no," Jake smiled at the memory of those few moments of awkwardness before it was sorted out. "I'd been thinking about it for a while, when I caught the scent of a guy on him when he came home one night. I asked if we could share a bed about a week later."

"So he's your type?" Sam asked as Jake began to wash his ass, clearing himself of the evidence of the night.

"For a Kat," Jake nodded. "It's more about trust, and it's hard to trust someone more than your partner. I probably would have ended up with a shekat, if that's who I'd been partnered with."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "But he's not what you _really_ like."

"Times are different," Jake said softly, shifting to wash his groin, and the first signs of arousal there. "We haven't been at war for over a decade."

"What ... Kantin?" Sam asked, his other eyebrow going up. "Not going to be a problem, right?"

Jake scowled at him. "I _am_ an Enforcer, Sam. Full Academy training, Lost Day and the lot. If I had a problem shooting them down, I wouldn't have taken out the two dozen odd ones I did in the last battle."

"Relax, I was just asking... you seemed to take as many of 'em down softly as you could, so it might be something waiting to come up. What's this 'Lost Day' thing you're talking about?"

"Ingrained habit," Jake shook his head as he began to wash the rest of his fur. "I've spent my entire career shooting at criminals over the heart of the city. We're trained to make it a controlled crash as best we can, to have them live to face trial if at all possible. As for Lost Day," he took a deep breath. "I guess you don't have it yet. By my time, everyone who's likely to end up a POW with intel if a war breaks out goes through it. It's half training, half test to see if you're likely to break so they know what kind of security clearance you should max out at.

"You're kidnapped, interrogated, tortured, food and sleep derived, mind games; everything a real enemy might try on you short of permanent damage. Even brought in a Traveran noble to play with me for a while," he shuddered down to his soul. "You don't find out until after you're rescued that it wasn't real."

"Since when do they give pilots any real intel?" Sam chuckled grimly. "Must be different in your time; right now, we're pretty much a dime a dozen, even if the civvies don't see it that way."

"Oh yeah, by my time it's different," Jake nodded, pausing to rinse his hair out. "We're put through four years of Academy training and are considered the elite of the elite, short only of the Commander's Ghosts, his personal special ops team. That bird we fly is worth a solid 300 million off the line, and that's before I got my hands on her. Even the one it replaced cost about 90 million each. When you put that kind of money into a vehicle, you make damn sure the crew is top notch. The air corps is the centerpiece of MKC defense and offense, and has been for a good seventy years."

"That's ... the Hell?" Sam blinked, unable to conceive of using numbers like that nearly that casually as Jake turned on the blowers.

"Umm, brush?" Jake glanced at him. "Yeah, modern aircraft are expensive, and so are their pilots," he continued as Sam handed him a brush and he went to work on his fur. "I heard somewhere that a pilot or gunner fresh out of the Academy is worth something like two million, because of the years of training they already have. They take keeping us alive and getting us back _very_ seriously. But we also have equipment on board that makes surviving being shot down pretty good odds. Not everybody, unfortunately, but probably eighty percent or so of jets that go down have at least part, if not all, of its crew survive."

"Okay... _totally_ different time," he murmured, shaking his head. "The new guys get a few weeks, tops, and they're in the air."

"You're in a war, a bad one, and aircraft are cheep and not very well used," Jake pointed out as he stepped out of the shower and shook himself from toe to ears. "I'm not surprised they treat you differently. Your turn," he grinned before stepping into the bedroom to retrieve his clothes, though he brought them back to dress.

"So, what's the deal with Traveris?" Sam asked him. "I hear they're bad news, but not much more than that."

"They're misandry in the extreme," he shuddered as Sam got under the shower water. "Males are property, and if you aren't deemed worthy of being breeding stock, they'll castrate you. Sexual torture is the national pastime of the nobility, and they have taken breaking males to an artform. Frankly, I'll go down with the jet before I let them capture me again."

"Whoa... uhm... that a new thing in your time?" Sam froze, staring at him for a long moment. "I mean... Hell, we wouldn't be talking with a group like that, I wouldn't think."

"We do, ally with them and all," Jake said grimly. "Them and worse, to stop the Wolves from winning. That's the only rule in war, in a bad war. It's whatever it takes to win. We don't stay allies for long when it's over."

"Yeah, but why _would_ they work with us? Most of our leaders are toms," Sam frowned. "Doesn't sound right... sheesh."

"Because they're under at least as much threat as we are," Jake shrugged as Sam went back to his shower. "The Wolves don't care if we are allies or not. We all Kats."

"I suppose... are they having trouble with Lothos too? I haven't heard anything about it," he admitted. "Not much about Traveris at all, honestly," he shrugged as he showered.

"Lothos isn't the only enemy," Jake reminded him. "They've allied most of the Kantin nations, and they're all over the globe."

"Yeah, but I haven't heard about Xenquii offering us any help, bunch of freakin' brown-nosers," he muttered. "Sometimes I wonder if they're working _with_ the Kantin."

"Xenquii's assistance was mostly in the form of absorbing _huge_ amounts of Kantin resources so they can't be turned on us," Jake told him. "No, they aren't helping us directly, but they're doing a hell of a job keeping Lothos from focusing on us exclusively. I'm not sure how much political geography you've had, but Lothos is about three times larger than MKC. They could win a war of attrition if they'd managed to keep the war to just us."

"This conversation's about it," Sam admitted. "That one of the things they have you studying while they sock you away for four years?"

"Some, but it also comes from basic public school requirements," Jake shook his head. "I've been told more than once that a high school education in my time is as demanding as a four year college education now, and it's only getting more demanding. I probably knew as much going into college as most of the strategists do today."

"Don't suppose you could take a few back with you, drop them off a few years ago after they catch up, could you?" Sam asked dryly, starting to wash his hair. "Be nice to have the advantage in tactics again."

"We never had an advantage, and we'll never have it," Jake said simply. "It's hardwired in Kantin. Only the Lions have anything close, and it's nothing in comparison to a true pack mentality. It's known now, it's just ignored on average. I just know more about world politics, geography and what tech can do in my time. It's an advantage, but not nearly as much as my jet."

"Eh, figures," Sam muttered, rinsing off. "Heh - just so we've got our story straight, you with Julie on your own, or did we double-team her?" He asked with a bit of a smirk.

"Double teamed," Jake decided. "Which was more you and her, with me watching."

"Heh - sounds good to me," Sam grinned as he stepped out of the shower and started drying off. "Mind grabbing my clothes?" He asked easily even as Jake gave him a curious look for not using the dryers.

"Sure," he nodded and walked into the bedroom. "When's she going to find out?"

"Figured I'd leave her a note on the way back to base," Sam said easily. "And I try not to use the blowers after a night like last night; brings the scent back out stronger when you blow what's left on you all over again."

"I've never noticed a difference, and I have a sharp nose," Jake said as he brought the clothes back. "But we've got good scent neutralizers to handle it too. Double-teaming her does give a reason for it though."

"That's one of the advantages," Sam winked. "Want her number, for you and Chance?" He asked with a smirk, dressing and starting out.

"Sure, it can't hurt," he nodded with a smile of thanks. 

* * *

Jake glanced up when the door opened, and grinned to see his partner walk in. He was equally grateful that the open bay barracks for the Black Knights was largely deserted at this relatively early hour. Everyone was still with their girlfriend of the night.

"Have a good time?" he called out to the tabby.

"Oh yeah," Chance grinned. "Feral endurance? It's hereditary," he chuckled.

That raised an eyebrow. "How would ... never mind. I don't want to know who," Jake shook his head and laughed, then wrinkled his nose when he got close. "You are _so_ taking a shower before you get in that cockpit with me."

"I washed up!" the tabby objected, only to have his tail grabbed and pulled so he followed his partner into the barrack's bathroom, a place that bore more than a minor similarity to the open room changing and shower rooms in their time, though not nearly as nice.

"You didn't do a good job," Jake snorted at him. "You're taking a real shower, and _please_ tell me you left the cockpit open to air out."

"Of course I did," Chance snorted back, undressing without any real protest to the demand for a shower. "Locked everything down though, just in case. So, how was your night?"

"Not what I had in mind, but informative," he hedged the subject, even though the building was abandoned. "I expect you had more fun. Did you get past what she's like in bed?"

"She's a real spitfire... deserves better than what she's got to look forward to now," Chance sighed. "The only good news I have for her is that she doesn't have to worry about growing old in an arranged marriage spent with a faithless dope her family picks out for her."

"And you can't tell her what, how, or who," Jake nodded. "If we're around when she goes down...."

"We're grabbing her," Chance said quietly, getting under the hot water and starting to wash up. "I don't care what it might do to the timeline, Jake, she's been fighting the system for all her life, and when she _does_ go down... nobody ever finds her, so for all we know we already brought her forward, right?"

"Yeah," Jake nodded, his voice low. "Has she said anything about wanting to come with us?"

"Not in as many words, but she hinted that eloping to another time wasn't out of the question," Chance chuckled lowly. "She was pretty damn forward, for somebody growing up in this time."

"And Felina isn't, for our time?" Jake chuckled. "When Feral women are fighters, they're as good as their brothers."

"Yeah, but last I heard Felina didn't practically propose on the first date," Chance chuckled. "I tried telling her that she might find a pilot who didn't mind a girl as good as he was, and she practically jumped me in the jet."

"Okay, that's forward," Jake granted him. "Sounds like she wants out like only a teenager can. Still, she's got a couple years before she's MIA. We don't know if we'll be here, or where she'll be, when it happens."

"That's why I didn't say anything about it," Chance nodded. "I want to try and keep an eye for it though... I can research the battle, if nothing else, and where her plane goes down."

"Assuming we get home before then," he agreed with a nod. "I think we'll both be researching the hell out of this war if we get home before the other two trips we know about."

"Oh, kats, you think we might not?" Chance turned around, and caught the fairly hungry look his partner gave him that Jake wasn't even aware of.

"It's possible," Jake nodded. "All we know is that we have been to earlier points in the war after now. We don't know the timing for us between those appearances, or if those are all we'll be doing."

"Yeah, but... kats alive, what'll happen if we make a _later_ trip that ends up meeting _us_?!? The longer we're back here, the more likely it is to happen," he pointed out.

"Yes and no," Jake shook his head and leaned back against the wall. "Do you really want the lecture on temporal physics, or just want to go with 'trust me' about it working out?"

"Unless you can explain it without making my head hurt worse, I'll trust you," Chance sighed. "Geeze, you'd think we'd know more about this, with all the trouble we've had with Pastie before."

"Yeah, but given the experts can't even agree on what time travel actually _is_ , I just go with my favorite theory until proven wrong," Jake agreed. "So far, it's that we _can't_ screw up the past, either because we're actually dimension hopping, or because time is linear and for us to go back, it had to have happened there first. Face it, if we could have changed things, we would have by now. Think of how much we did in the Jurassic, or with Queen Callista."

"Point... just not sure what that says about fate, destiny, or what'd happen if you knew the future, which is just your past waiting to happen," Chance sighed. "Gyah, this stuff makes my brain ache... especially on a hangover. Why can't I ever have this stuff come up when I'm sober?"

"Because you know better than to let it come up when your head's clear," Jake snickered in real amusement. "Though seriously, knowing what's going to happen ... could you fly the bomb, drop it, knowing what it's going to do? Then three more times? I know the records don't say we did it, just that the Black Knights did, but what are the odds it's _not_ us if we're around?"

"Jake, odds are we're going to _have_ to do it, if you're right," Chance pointed out. "I'll just have to remember the numbers... but Gods, I hate the idea," he sighed. "That's what I _don't_ do again."

"We can refuse," Jake told him quietly but firmly, his gut in a knot at the idea of killing millions, some of them taking months or years to die, some infants that would die of cancer ten years later.

"But we won't," Chance looked down, his body still except for a deep sigh. "Even in our time, it's agreed it probably saved lives by shortening the war by a decade or more. If it's us, it's us. We have the jet to do it, something that probably doesn't exist now. The story that the plane ditched in the ocean and was never recovered could be a cover as easily as the truth."

"I know buddy," Jake stepped close and reached out to put a strong hand on his shoulder. "Hopefully when we get back to our time, they'll believe us. Megan's going to get one hell of an earful from this, I'm sure."

"Heh... yeah, she will," Chance nodded. "Who knows, maybe Feral'll let us see the records of what we did, so we'll at least know what to do on our future trips."

"Who knows, but I know we'll do what we need to," Jake smiled grimly and backed up so Chance could finish washing up. "If Agetha does come home with us, do you think she'll be a serious girlfriend?"

"It's possible," Chance admitted. "She's less than half my age though, she might not be interested in a tom who could technically be her father," Chance chuckled. "Not long-term or anything, at least."

"I'm sure Felina will take her under her wing pretty quick too," Jake nodded. "You're hardly old though," he added with a slight smile. "Forty-six isn't even middle aged."

"I know, but compared to fifteen or sixteen... well, would _you_ have wanted something with somebody three times your age?" Chance chuckled, rinsing off and getting under the blowers.

"At that age, I was too focused on college to think about it," Jake chuckled at the way his partner shook his head.

"You _so_ need to get a life," the tabby snorted.

"Everybody keeps telling me that," Jake teased back. "I think I'm doing just fine."

"Well fine - nowadays, would you be interested in somebody in their hundreds?" Chance smirked. "Or even their 80's?"

Jake thought over the guys he knew in that age, and rumbled appreciatively at a few of them. "Yeah, I can definitely see some of them."

"Heh - well, we'll see what happens," Chance chuckled, getting dressed in the uniform he'd come in. "C'mon, let's see what we've got issued to us in the way of clean clothes."

Jake nodded and followed him out. "A set of field khakis, a dress uniform, five sets of underwear, and Gregory supplied the pilot's gear," he listed out. "Want the top or bottom bunk?"

"Damn shame we can't take some of it back with us," Chance chuckled. "If you don't have a preference, think I'll take bottom, but it's your call."

"I do prefer the top," Jake said with that tiny release of invisible tension that marked just how true it was. "And who says we can't?" he raised an eyebrow at his partner. "If it's in the jet when we go, it comes with us."

"Point," Chance chuckled. "Just seems a little strange to pack the pilot's gear when we know we won't be using it."

"If you want the souvenirs, I'm not going to stop you," Jake smiled and finished folding his uniforms to fit with far too much room to spare in the trunk at the foot of their bunk.

Chance folded his own after changing into a clean set of clothes, putting them in the trunk at the head of his bed and closing it, though not with as much room as Jake had.

"Cool... hey, next time we get the chance, you want to meet Agetha?"

"Sure," Jake grinned. "I definitely want to stop by the mainland and pick up bedding. This is nasty to sleep on."

"Heh - I'm with you there," Chance agreed, looking up at his partner, who was laying on his stomach on the upper bunk. "By the way, she showed me this little island off of Anakata you'd probably love. No clue what shape it's in in our time, so maybe we should pay it a visit."

"Sure," Jake purred softly, only to snap it tightly under control when the door opened.

"Sirs!" a young, nervous voice called out to them as the figure snapped to attention and saluted them.

"That's been a while," Jake murmured as Chance reflexively returned the salute.

"At ease," Jake called out to him and swung to his feet off the top bunk. "Are we needed?"

"Yes, sir," he nodded. "The Commander asked that you come, in dress A's."

"Be there in five," Chance nodded, starting to redress as quickly as he could in the very familiar uniform that he hadn't worn before.

"Dismissed," Jake added when the youth hadn't moved. He caught another salute out of the corner of his eye as he redressed as well, grateful that the ribbon bar was already attached, but feeling a little weird wearing ones for things he hadn't done yet, but he had credit for because he would do them, because they'd already been done.

"Get the feeling we got a couple brevet promotions in the past?" Chance asked, shaking his head as he made sure everything was in place.

"Do you know what all of them are?" Jake asked, looking down at his set, and noting that it matched his partner's, unlike their modern ones. "And I'm not surprised, even if we didn't do anything we think is special."

"Halikar's sword and shield, Ace with 3 golden stars, 2 silver, and two bronze... I shouldn't be surprised, but we're in the mid-400's for kill count. Not sure what battles the ribbons are for, but I can check when we get back home. Wonder if we have to bring it up with Feral to get them transferred to our records in our time... _that_ ought to help us figure out what we do, if nothing else."

"Sounds like we did a _lot_ of missions," Jake sighed, shaking his head as they both made a quick appearance check in the full length bathroom mirrors, then checked each other, and left the barracks.

"And that's just on the first two trips, from their perspective," Chance pointed out, following him out. "Probably doesn't include the couple dozen we got yesterday."

"Damn," Jake murmured.

"This way, sirs," the youth saluted them again when they stepped outside. "The jeep is ready."

"Thank you," Chance nodded, stopping himself from taking the driver's seat and instead sitting next to Jake in the back as the youth got in to drive them to HQ. It was weird any way he looked at it. They weren't the kind of officers that got driven around yet, and neither planned to be.

They rode in silence for the short trip they could have easily walked, and noticed that there was a level of tension as they neared the control tower.

"What's going on?" Jake asked.

"The Commander is here, sir," their driver said. "I don't know anything else, sir."

"That'll do it," Jake rolled his eyes as they pulled to a stop and got out.

"Commander Vidon? Yeah, that will," Chance agreed. "Sounds like we've got our next missions lined up already, if he's out here."

"At least we had one good night before it goes to hell," Jake muttered under his breath before he took a visible breath and walked with Chance into the control tower and the officer's offices there.

"Go in," Tedine's secretary nodded to them. "The Commander and a couple Ghosts are with him," he added by way of warning.

Chance nodded, and he and Jake stepped inside, saluting and standing at attention even as they took in the odd reality of seeing such a famous, long-dead person in the flesh and very much in charge.

The two toms in the room they didn't know were in the background, the shadows, and easy to overlook with the Commander and Lieutenant Commander front and center. It wasn't a mistake Jake or Chance made, despite keeping their attention politely focused on the brass.

"Clawson and Furlong reporting, Sir," Chance said smartly while the large black-maned Lion took their measure and nodded.

"At ease," the Commander said, his low baritone rumbling through their bones. "I understand that while I know you well, you have not been in the war yet."

"No, sir," Chance agreed. "It sounds like we arrive back here at least twice before this, but we haven't gone through it yet... time travel," he grumbled.

"Very well," the Lion nodded. "I will keep this simple. You are being put under my direct command, as Ghosts, and stationed at MegaKat City Headquarters. Expect most of your time to be spent supporting ground forces, making strategic strikes on enemy targets and flying recon. Know I asked when I met you if you could train someone to fly your craft, and was told it would take longer than it was worth. Is that still true?"

"Yes, sir," Jake nodded fractionally as he tried to absorb the idea of being one of the Commander's Ghosts. "Even the Blue Manx would take months, if not a full year, to be able to take her into combat, or on an extended mission."

"With any luck, the war will be over by then," he nodded. "And we couldn't spare a pilot of his caliber for that long even if it wouldn't be. Is there anything you can tell me about how the war is supposed to play out from here?"

"It gets uglier, sir," Jake said quietly, his gaze not entirely with them. "Years of hell and millions of deaths uglier. We'll lose most of our best field officers. Three nations, along with most of the old guard and nobility worldwide, will no longer exist when the dust settles. The super weapon will be finished before the war is. It won't be enough."

"Is there any way we can minimize those losses?" Teldin asked, paling beneath his fur. "The actual number can't make _that_ big a difference to your future...."

"Even in hindsight, not much, sir," Chance said quietly. "I think we already gave you a lot of intel on when and where things went down. The brunt of the losses will be Kantin. Most of the nobles on both sides are assassinated by strike teams, civil war or insiders. Most of the deaths are from the super weapon."

"More importantly, we can't start holding back our best troops just because we know it's not going to work," the Commander pointed out. "We're still years away in development of the super weapon... and if it isn't enough, we're going to need to keep holding them back. We can't risk losing the war early because we don't want to take chances."

"Yes, sir," Jake spoke up. "We do not know for sure that what happened for our history is what will happen here. What time travel actually is is still under debate in our time. It's entirely possible that this is an alternate dimension that has or will separate from ours at some point."

"And no telling which future you'll be able to return to," Vidon nodded. "Which brings us to your initial assignments." He picked up a folder from the desk and handed it to Jake. "Word is being passed that you have the right to anything you ask for, anywhere we have forces. We have a major operation going down at the time and location in your orders. Do anything you can to make it happen. The highest priority targets within a hundred miles of the operation have all been noted, but do not be bound by them. I know you are both very good at judgment calls. Any questions?"

Jake and Chance glanced at each other.

"No, sir," Jake said.

"Then dismissed," Commander Vidon said, returning their salutes before the pair walked out.

"Think you could put together some low-lethality ordnance in the time we have?" Chance asked Jake quietly, glancing in the summary data of the folder.

"Maybe," Jake said, clearly uncertain. "Let's get in our real uniforms and get to the staging ground. We'll see what I can think up during the flight."

"If we can't, we should think about it for next time," Chance offered. "We might be able to bring a few officers back for interrogation."

"I'll work on it," Jake promised as they got in the jeep again. "Stick around outside the barracks, please," he said as the driver took off. "We'll be going to the airfield as soon as we grab our things."

"Understood, sir," the driver said smartly.


	11. The Red Lynx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Commander during MegaWar II makes good use of this gift from the future and sends the guys on the first of many missions.

It was near midnight local time when Chance brought them in for a landing at a concealed base not far over the horizon from their mainland target. It had been a grueling flight, not for the length, that hadn't been bad at four hours, but for the fact that it had been absolutely silent in the back seat the entire time. He knew Jake was watching for trouble, but every spare scrap of his partner's mind was working on how to work up some non-lethal munitions in the two or three hours they'd likely have before they were sent to hit the beach defenses ahead of the assault force.

"Jake, if you can't figure it out, it's not a crisis," Chance finally offered. "We're about to land, and I'll need your head on the assault if we've only got a few hours before showtime."

"I'll be there," he promised. "But it would be useful to grab a few officers if we can, and I think I have a couple functional ideas I can build in time."

Both were a bit surprised to see only one officer, a low-ranking Lieutenant, driving up to their landing spot as they VTOL settled down in the grass near the airstrip.

"I _really_ hope he's not the superior officer for this operation," Chance murmured before touching down and sliding back the cockpit.

"If he is, he isn't now," Jake pointed out. "We both rank him."

"True," Chance nodded and followed his partner to the ground.

"Welcome to Cidasin," the Lieutenant greeted them. "Please get in. "The Major has been edgy for hours, since he learned you'd be helping."

"Well, let's not keep him waiting any longer then," Chance chuckled as he got in the back of the jeep with Jake. "Anything you can bring us up to speed on, on the way?" He asked. "New developments, new intel that wasn't in our packets?"

"Nothing I know about, but I'm not privy to that kind of thing," the driver said as they pulled away from the Black Sun and towards a collection of single-story buildings hidden under a huge network of camouflage nets.

Jake gave a glance back toward their jet in time to see a team bring a camouflage net over it.

"I'm impressed," Jake said absently. "You can't see anything from the air, even at a hundred feet. But why bother?"

"It's our orders," Lieutenant Darkeye said with a shrug. "We don't get told much."

"I know," Chance chuckled and winked at his partner. It felt weird to be the one with the answers, instead of asking them. "This one is hidden, so the fake one on Tabril Island is where they think we'll be coming from."

"So that's why it went so well," Jake murmured.

"Pretty much, and an air assault that was unprecedented at the time," the tabby added. "We'll have to go in under full stealth, but once we're in position they won't know what hit them. After the air assault created confusion here, it hit up near Tabril faster than should've been possible ... history credits a feinting maneuver, but it's looking like a cover at this point."

"I'm sure we'll going to be finding a lot of those," Jake chuckled dryly, fascinated by camouflage job on such a huge scale until they came to a stop.

"If you'll come with me, sirs, I'll taker you to the war room," Lieutenant Darkeye said as he turned the engine off and got out.

"Amazing what they did before radar was good, huh?" Chance chuckled.

"And before good cameras, IR and sonar," Jake chuckled as they followed the Lieutenant inside the building and through hallways and rooms that were buzzing in a way that was heavily reminiscent of the main control room at HQ in their time. "It can still be done, but it takes a _much_ more advanced system. The cost in our time," he shook his head. "It's amazing, really. Darkeye, can you round up a few things for me while we're talking to the Major?" Jake asked.

"Of course, sir," the dark tom with burgundy stripes said. "Anything we have."

Jake nodded. "I need nets, twenty pound weights, empty containers to hold a net and four weights each, and gunpowder. We're going officer hunting," he added with a grin.

"Yes sir," he nodded, a slightly confused look on his face before he knocked on large double doors of heavy, dark wood before opening them after a brief pause. "The Ghosts are here, sir."

"Good," the relief in the strong male voice was obvious. "Come in, Clawson, Furlong," the ticked sandy tabby greeted the pair warmly. "You made excellent time."

"We did our best, Sir," Chance nodded, stepping in along with his partner. "We understand there's only a few hours before the assault," he continued after the door was shut. It was more than a little surreal, having this conversation with the architects of the Golden Coast Invasion.

Looking at the strategic table, laid out just like it was in the museum, just made it all the stranger. He kept expecting to be watching all this grainy black and white.

"Yes, the ground forces go in just before pre-dawn," Major Kildar nodded and motioned for them to join the circle around the table and take in the planned assault. "By appearances, the decoy at Tabril is working. Their forces have amassed on the beaches across from it."

"Well, when we get the chance we'll make sure they don't feel neglected," Chance chuckled grimly, joining the circle with Jake. He felt more than a little strange standing among so many officers he admired, had studied at length, and who outranked him drastically yet treated him with deference.

"I understand you have a very advanced plane and have significant knowledge of our plans," Major Kildar said. "What can you do to assist the assault?"

"We can go on ahead, without exposing your assault until we attack, and whittle down the machine gun nests," Chance explained. "And we can block their radio communications, so they can't call back for reinforcements until after we've had a chance to go ahead and start mopping up Tabril for you. We also hope to capture some of their officers, if we get the chance - pick up some extra intel."

"How much of their defenses should you be able to take out before we get there?" Major Kildar asked. "The machinegun placements could all but wipe us out."

"Based on what I know about _their_ placements, we should be able to wipe out about three quarters of them," Chance explained.

"How are you guys set for paratroopers?" Jake asked, his mind working over possible tactics.

"Idea doesn't exist yet, buddy," Chance told him as a wave of blank looks cross the officers around them.

"Ah ... soldiers who parachute behind enemy lines," Jake explained. "No parachutes yet?" he glanced at Chance, who nodded grimly. "Damn."

"They are useful?" Captain Sunclaw asked, his mind at work on the idea.

"Once you have reliable parachutes, yes," Jake nodded.

"After the battle, can you show me one, and how to use it?" the Captain asked despite the rolled eyes of those around him.

"Yes, sir," Jake nodded. "Training usually takes three to five weeks, but I can give you the basics."

"Okay, back to the actual mission," Major Kildar interrupted them, though there was no missing the shock that lingered on his face from Chance's assessment of the damage a single plane could do. "The city is friendly, so we are trying to limit damage to it and it's people. We _need_ the port intact. We want the ships in it, but if they escape, can you sink them?"

"Yes sir," he nodded. "Are we the only air support?" Chance asked him, not sure how much of the record he could trust on that front, and not liking the empty airfield he'd seen when they'd landed.

"We have fifty aircraft, of the five hundred I asked for," the Major said grimly. "Of which only ten have much by way of experience. The bulk of the enemy aircraft are across from Tabril, keeping an eye on them, but I expect we will face an air force of three hundred by noon if the forces here can get word to them. The ground forces will take at least two days to get here in any number."

"We'll just have to keep them from getting word out then," Chance nodded. "The good news is that we can be well on our way to wiping them out before noon if we're not ... I'd just rather not have to go up against those sort of odds. Even with better armor, they could get a lucky shot in, and they might know we're available again if they have any survivors from Quatermass radioing in."

"Keep an eye out for any aircraft or vehicles making time north and give them priority," the Major said. "We'll have their radios blocked once the assault begins. That'll draw attention, but not as much as a call for help. Will you need fuel or any special supplies before you begin?"

"Fuel, yes," Jake nodded. "Darkeye is gathering a few things for officer capture. A hot meal and time to work on Black Sun is the best thing I can have right now."

"We'll have something brought out to you from the Mess," the Major nodded. "Good luck, and let us know when you'll be ready to head out - we'll want to be right behind you."

"Thank you, sir," Jake nodded and saluted before he turned to leave, Chance at his side. 

* * *

"There they go," Jake said absently as he caught the first of the assault landing ships hit the beach, one that was significantly less dangerous than it had been an hour before.

"They've got the best chance we can give 'em," Chance sighed, peeling away. "Any signs of activity from the port, or should we head for Tabril?"

"The lines are holding, I say we go cut off any reinforcements," Jake decided calmly after a quick check of his sensor readouts. "We need to keep those planes away from the beach."

"On it," Chance nodded, kicking in the afterburners and cutting up to mach speed. "Watch the fuel, okay? Hate to run out of gas in the middle of something."

"Will do," Jake promised. "I have the system set to warn us when we're within ten percent of what's required to make it back to Cidasin. Even without the afterburners, there's nothing in the sky these days that can come close to chasing us."

"Nothing anybody knows about at least," Chance corrected, sure there was trouble that was still classified on the Kantin side of things.

"You are...."

"Krud!" Chance snarled and slid hard to the right to avoid something that appeared right in front of them.

"I hate mages," Jake flattened his ears. "Get me a shot on that thing."

"Workin' on it! Shit, thought gunner-mages were a freakin' myth," Chance swore under his breath, pulling around, then swearing again. "The Lynx."

"You beat him once," Jake reminded him as he prepped one of their precious missiles to fire as soon as he had a lock. "He's easier this time."

"That was when he didn't have a mage, an intact jet, or a dark sky to fight in," Chance pointed out, turning sharply to dodge a fireball. "You have something that'll keep him from casting?"

"Yeah, a bullet," Jake said grimly as they swung around and shot upwards to give themselves a moment to breath and plan. "Missiles are useless with fireballs around."

"Then get ready to shoot as soon as I come out of this," Chance warned him, continuing their climb, flipping upside down as Chance took them into a loop faster and sharper than the Lynx's plane could manage, or most from his own time even.

"Rodger," Jake focused on making the shot that was for the gunner, rather than the plane itself. It set against all his training and damn near all his morals. It was only the very real way the other gunner was trying to kill them that pulled the trigger.

Bullets streaked through the air at his target, a killing shot for sure - but then they scattered as scintillating colors filled the air.

" _This_ is why I _hated_ the idea of a gunner-mage!" Chance snarled. "Hold on tight; I'm about to try and out-crazy him!"

"Oh _crap_ ," Jake yowled and gripped his controls until his knuckles where white as he tried hard to anticipate what his partner was up to.

Chance spun the Raven to duck a lightning bolt, taking advantage of the time it would take the mage to prep his next spell to get in front of the Lynx. The pilot started firing his guns, but the bullets glanced off the armored shell of the Raven as it streaked directly at him. At the last second, the Lynx twisted to get out of the way - and Chance turned slightly towards his escape, twisting the plane onto its edge.

The leading edge of the Black Sun's right wing ripped into the Red Lynx's left, shattering the wooden frame and shredding the cloth as their collision destroyed the wing and tore off the back end of the tail. Chance leveled out, turning towards their target.

"I _really_ hope you're right about us not being able to change the past right now, buddy," he murmured, heart pounding hard.

"Just line me lined up with that mage," Jake got out, his heart in his throat, his fur completely fluffed in fear that he only just managed to shove away to do his job. "He's still dangerous on the ground."

"Jake, we need to take Tabril," Chance pointed out, even as he began to come around. "And we'll be out of range in a flash."

"For the ground troops," Jake pointed out his real concern for leaving the mage alive and opened up with the blasters in their wings, riddling the Red Lynx's craft with holes that focused on the back end until he saw the shredded craft vanish in a flash of light. "Damn. Right, to Tabril."

"At least they're out of here... maybe it was a spell triggered when you got him," Chance offered, settling in for a high speed cruise to their next target. "Run a diagnostic while I'm flying? Hate to find out I'd fucked something up with that crash."

"Already running it, buddy," Jake said as he forced himself to calm down. "The wing was designed to take a harder hit than that and be fine."

"And you should know," Chance chuckled, relieved when the air system began to filter out the worst of his partner's fear. It wasn't the first time, and he knew it wouldn't be the last, but it was damn distracting to smell his gunner like that. It didn't matter that he knew from experience that it didn't affect Jake's performance of the job. It was the fear trying to trigger his own.

"Well, yeah, I do know the specs better than the guy who sold them," Jake chuckled as he settled down. "That was a hell of a move there, buddy."

"Thanks," Chance nodded. "You okay back there?"

"Yeah," Jake assured him. "I don't think I'll ever get used to moves like that. Even knowing we can take the hit, it's still an intentional impact."

"Y'wanna hear something that'll _really_ make you feel better about it?" Chance asked, half a chuckle in his voice. "I _wasn't_ sure we could take the hit, with that bullet-proof shield in place."

"Chance!" Jake scolded him. "Don't _tell_ me things like that! I was going to suggest it pretty soon," he added more quietly. "We could do that against normal planes of the time all day and barely chip the paint."

"Maybe," Chance nodded. "But I'd rather shoot out the engines. They can glide to a safe landing instead of spiraling into the dirt, and we don't _have_ to worry about finding out the hard way that the physics doesn't work in our favor for some reason."

"Agreed on the first, but physics don't change," Jake pointed out. "If they did, you'd know first because flying would be different. But if we run out of ammo, it will work."

"I meant in case we tripped over somebody with a plane that was a bit sturdier for some reason - it'd suck to come across some druidic pilot," Chance grumbled. "An Ironwood biplane would _not_ be good to crash into."

Jake winced at the thought. "Point. That's the one thing I can't do; work magic into a plane," he said with something between annoyance and wistful in his voice.

"You do just fine without it," Chance assured him, as much for his own sanity as for his partner's as their radar picked up ground and air targets coming within range. "Like lambs to the slaughter." 

* * *

"We're going to have to land the hard way," Jake said grimly, the exhaustion easily audible in his voice in the afternoon sun. "We're already on fumes."

"Any _good_ news?" Chance groaned, throttling down already to try and hit the strip as slow as he could, as early as he could. He was sure it wasn't nearly long enough ... and that would be if they _did_ have a proper capture system, which he knew they hadn't even imagined yet.

"It's flatland," Jake told him. "We _should_ be able to stop before we run out of island."

"We have _got_ to talk to them about longer runways," Chance muttered, lowering the landing gear. "Think we can pull it off if we stall out?"

"Ug, probably," Jake didn't sound happy. "It wouldn't hurt to use the last of the fuel for a STOL," he suggested, bracing for the rough touchdown and bumpy skid to a stop he was expecting if things went well.

"That's what I'm thinking," Chance nodded, angling the engines down and nosing up, using the engines to try and slow the jet even further, so they wouldn't end up going off the other side of the island.

Even though his attention was focused on getting them down, he couldn't help but catch a furious amount of typing front the back seat.

"VTOL," Jake suddenly told him.

Chance obeyed without question, even though he was sure they didn't have the fuel for it, and leveled them out in full VTOL mode. He heard something about losing power, but it didn't process enough before the engines died.

He braced himself, sure they were about to crash the second worst way possible - but, while he felt a bone-jarring jolt when they hit, it was only from a few feet. His teeth felt like they were rattling, but they were fine.

"Krud," he shuddered. "You okay, Jake?"

"Yes," he said with a long breath of relief as they both sat in their seats without any desire to move for a while. "Believe it or not, that only as hard a hit as our usual HQ landing."

"Yeah, but I'm in control for our HQ landings," Chance shuddered.

Both toms all but jumped out of their skins at a knock on the canopy, but relaxed a moment later when they saw one of the ground crew that had refueled them during the battle hanging on as he leaned forward from the wing's edge.

"Sirs, the Major says that things are under control," the dark brown tom said hurriedly when Chance slid the canopy forward. "You should get some rest. She'll be fueled when you're up."

"Thanks," Chance nodded, getting up and climbing out and waiting for Jake to land next to him. "We have quarters somewhere?"

"Yes sir," the Kat nodded and climbed down. "Lieutenant Darkeye will take you while I do what I can to prep your lady."

"Thanks," Jake said with decidedly uncustomary acceptance of someone else touching the Black Sun.

It was all Chance needed to realize just how much the last twenty-hour hours had worn on his partner, and would wear on him when the adrenaline wore off.

"The mess is on the way to the officer quarters," Darkeye told them, and motioned them to get in the jeep he drove everywhere. "You must be starving and exhausted. You've been up there forever."

"Hungry, yes. Tired, yes," Jake agreed as he took a back seat with a grateful sound of not having to be keyed up anymore. "The guys taking the beach haven't been up much less though."

"How _are_ things on the ground?" Chance asked, stifling a yawn.

"From what little I've heard, it seems like we've taken the entire beachhead, the port, and most of the city," he said with real respect in his tone. "You made a huge difference."

"Thanks, but they're the ones putting their necks on the line," Chance pointed out. "We've got something of an unfair advantage, at the moment."

"Sounds like what you told me, the night you introduced Megan," Jake chuckled absently. "Something about not feeling bad about not being on the front line, cause I did a lot of good too."

"I never said I felt bad about it, just not to consider _me_ the hero," Chance chuckled, all too aware of it when Jake let his eyes slip closed and he leaned to rest against his partner's shoulder.

"I can bring a meal from the mess if you want to get some rest now," Darkeye offered.

"If you wouldn't mind," Chance nodded gratefully. "The adrenaline's starting to wear off, and we're both pretty worn out."

"Yeah," Jake murmured, straitening a bit and shaking his head to clear it. "Definitely wearing off."

"No one can blame you for being tired," Darkeye assured them before letting the pair sit in silence for the remainder of the short drive to one of the single-story barracks that had many separate rooms. "I hope you don't mind sharing a room," he said apologetically. "We're pretty crowded."

"That's a lot better than Quatermass," Jake chuckled and got out to follow the dark tom inside. "The whole wing shared a hanger-barracks."

"It's _much_ better than that," Darkeye assured them with obvious surprise at the description. "You have a bathroom to yourselves and everything."

"Oh, that'll be _nice_ ," Jake purred deeply.

"Just remember, military showers," Chance chuckled, following them in. "Mind knocking when you come back with lunch? One of us might need to wake up to let you in," he admitted.

"Of course, sir," Darkeye nodded and unlocked the door before he offered them each a key. "I can get extra blankets or pillows if you want them too," he said before leaving to get their meals.

"You want to shower first?" Jake offered. "You know I won't get out for a while."

"Works for me," Chance nodded. "Give you a chance to see just how much privacy we're likely to have too, for when you're working," he chuckled, stripping off his modern flight suit and t-shirt with a groan.

Jake nodded, watching his partner strip with tired appreciation for his fit body before they each turned their attention to other things. It didn't take long for Jake to spot the two half-packed seabags that contained their local belongings, and he quickly pulled out a change of clothes for each of them.

"Cloths are on the toilet," Jake called to his partner as the tabby wetted his fur down. "Clean ones."

"Thanks!" Chance called out. "Probably not gonna bother with more than the basics, as long as I can get away with it. How long you think it'll be before we're back in the air?"

"However long it takes me to wake up and fix Black Sun," Jake told him. "It's how I'd use us at least. There's almost nothing on this world we can't pound to oblivion."

"Try and sleep in for once, okay?" Chance asked him seriously. "You can catnap while we're on a flight, I can't, not reliably at least."

"I won't have the Black Sun ready to fly until you are," he promised before turning to answer the door. "Food's here!" he yelled back.


	12. The Seductive Siang Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a week of combat behind them, the guys get a well-deserved furlough in an exotic port and run into a few sexy surprises.

"This is the hardest I've _ever_ worked for a furlough," Chance groaned and stretched upwards before he pulled on a local pilot's uniform over freshly cleaned fur.

"I don't know, a few times Academy was worse," Jake said from the shower. "It's been numbing though."

"Jake, we _never_ spent close on a week in a war zone to get two days off in the Academy," Chance said dryly. "Particularly not running ourselves so ragged we're practically unconscious before they decide to let us rest."

"Survival week was worse in my book, so was Lost Day," Jake countered easily, his voice trailing off in a low moan of pleasure.

"The Lost Day I'll give you," Chance admitted. "Still pretty damn rough. So, looking forward to the show tonight?"

"I'm looking forward to anything that doesn't involve Black Sun or sleeping," he laughed easily, the first real indicator of how tired he was.

"Well, the sooner you dry off, the sooner we can go," Chance reminded him.

"You could always come in an help," Jake purred suggestively, the second indicator he was already a bit loopy.

"We'd never get out of here, somebody'd come look for us, and we'd be in trouble," Chance smirked. "So hurry up - I'm looking forward to seeing this all-hybrid revue they've got going."

"True," Jake snickered, and turned the water off a minute later to start drying himself off.

"You know there are girls there that'll take care of it for you too," Chance added with a teasing grin, even as he glanced into the bathroom to take a look at his partner, his lover that he hadn't touched since they arrived. It still surprised him how much he missed having Jake there when he woke up, or fell asleep.

"I'm sure," Jake chuckled before focusing on brushing his fur out before it finished drying. "You're going to have fun, I'm sure."

"You are too," Chance smirked. "Watching, if nothing else - we don't have to find a private place out here."

"Really?" Jake cocked his head as he stepped out of the shower and began to dress. "Just the club, or in general?"

"Just the club," Chance chuckled. "Technically it's frowned on, but the brass was notorious for not giving a shit out here."

"The brass barely cares in MKC," Jake said as he finished getting dressed. "Ready?" he asked as he grabbed his aviator jacket. "It feels weird, like we're going to a masquerade party."

"That's just because you haven't been learning how to do this sorta thing since you were a kit," Chance grinned, his own already on, showing off his buff body. "I'm _definitely_ ready to go - c'mon, let's drive."

"I had other things on my mind," Jake teased him and followed him out of their fifth guest quarters that week. "It's almost going to feel weird being in the same bed two nights running."

"If we're lucky, we won't be," Chance smirked. "Might be able to score one of the bunks at the club though."

"I don't know about that," Jake hit wary just about as fast as he had every other state in the last couple days. "No way to tell how safe it is."

"Jake," Chance groaned, climbing into the jeep. "Can you try _not_ being paranoid for a moment? This place has been a crash pad for the troops since the base was _established_ , and nobody's ever had any trouble that wasn't positively linked to another GI."

"We aren't like every other GI," he said quietly. "I'll try."

"Just don't get in any drunken brawls I wouldn't get into... and wait until after I've had a chance to get my rocks off," Chance chuckled, shaking his head as they started out. "If you feel better, we can come back, we'll just have to see about how things go."

"I don't think I _could_ get into a fight before you can get your rocks off," Jake snickered. "Shouldn't take you five minutes with a good show."

"With the last week, can you blame me?" Chance grinned.

"No, but I wouldn't blame you for wanting to sleep all weekend either," he stretched upwards and relaxed back, enjoying the open vehicle and wind in his fur and nose. "What do you know about this place?"

"Just that there are _still_ vets talking about it," Chance purred. "Stripping, dancing, bondage displays... the sex isn't technically part of the show, but any night the performers _didn't_ all get fucked at _least_ once, usually on stage, was considered a tame night."

"Sounds good," Jake shivered slightly in anticipation. "You know what the mix is in the hybrids?"

"Siamese/Fox," Chance told him. "They make a point of looking like a mix too. It's how they managed to get cleared for their show."

Jake blinked, taking a moment to catch on, then shook his head. "Foxes are as suspect as Wolves right now, right?"

"Pretty much," Chance nodded. "But they're from a border colony, and being part-Kat, the brass didn't mark the club as being off-limits. Their villages also threw parties when we came through, so... yeah, they were a little sick of the hard-core Kantins treating them like third-class gutter trash for being half-breeds."

"And half-breed Foxes are even worse," Jake didn't have to guess on that. "I haven't met a Wolf that held much of an opinion of Foxes, even in modern times," he sighed, watching the jungle countryside pass by them with tired but attentive eyes. "They're lucky they weren't wiped out."

"There's a reason Foxes get by better these days," Chance sighed. "They were only involved to stay alive, and they turned as fast as they could once we got over here. Didn't help much, but it saved their reps in history."

"What I'll never get are Kats like the Red Lynx," Jake muttered. "Loyal and trusted by the group trying to wipe out your race? How fucked up is that."

"He had his reasons," Chance murmured. "At least according to Lothosian historians. At any rate, let's not worry about that, okay?"

"Okay, but it still bugs me," Jake shrugged. "You know I hate things I can't understand."

"I know, buddy," Chance nodded. "If you want, we can talk about it some other time... for now, let's just have some fun, okay?" He asked hopefully, pulling up in front of the busy club.

"That shouldn't be hard," Jake managed a grin and got out with him. "Siamese/Fox should be sexy," he purred.

"Even for you," Chance agreed with a grin of his own, leading the way in and waving at some of the pilots he recognized, as they started making their way towards a table with a couple seats.

"Hay guys!" A familiar voice called from another corner of the packed club. "Sit with your wing, unless you've forgotten us."

"Never," Chance grinned at Gregory Manx and about half the other Black Knights of the time and headed right for them with Jake. There wasn't technically room at their tables, but they grabbed a couple chairs for the pair to sit in anyway. 

"Damn, you guys look _beat_ ," Gregory looked them over with honest surprise. "I thought they were flying us hard. Have you slept in the last week?"

"Only when I refused to take a mission until we got some," Jake admitted as he sat down and checked out the dancers on stage with definite interest. "How's the show been so far?"

"First time I've been glad I don't have your bird," the Manx chuckled lowly. "And everything it's been billed as; the girls are gorgeous and exotic, and the next batch is about to come out after they get a chance to refresh everybody's drinks."

"Good timing then," Jake chuckled and accepted a drink without questioning what it was. "We need the break."

"Maybe score another three way for you tonight?" Greg smirked, sipping his own drink. "That could be a damn hot show."

"Oh yeah," Chance chuckled, already needing to shift his pants a bit just in anticipation of what was coming.

The dancers came out, dressed in flowing gowns, spinning and twirling on the stage as they began to strip, a mix of feline features with vulpine tails and muzzles that was exotic and attractive, pale red fur covering most of their bodies with dark, dark red points.

"Exotic was not kidding," Jake rumbled, licking his whiskers back as his gaze fixed on the dancers, their lithe frames and small chests.

They began to work their gowns off, exposing more of themselves, their fluffy tails expertly hiding anything too blatant for the moment. Before more than a few minutes, the six dancers were almost entirely naked, though two of them still wore veils over their asses and crotches as they began to prepare the bondage equipment.

"Not the usual strip show," Jake purred, his arousal sharp and strong in Chance's nose. It was a familiar scent, but the edge on it, something the tabby usually associated with aggression, was entirely new. Even with the strong drinks, only one and a bit of a second shouldn't have been enough to change his desires.

It was a good thing he'd be along there... he had a feeling this could get out of hand, if he was smelling what he thought he did on Jake.

"No, but a good one," Chance rumbled as the two girls with the veils began to tie one of the naked ones, binding her arms behind her back with ropes, her small breasts so they stood up, and her legs spread wide, making a positively obscene display of her sex that was only blocked by the single rope between her legs. She writhed and moaned in pleasure as they played with the ropes and how they tightened around her body.

The sight drew rumbles and whistles of appreciation, and more than a few of the guys were jerking off already. Jake wasn't trying to touch himself, or anyone else, but he was fixated on the demonstration with a fascination he made no effort to hide.

He was beyond turned on, but content to just watch.

There were days Chance knew he'd never understand his partner's sex drive.

"Would anybody care to join us?" One of the naked dancers, a three-quarter Fox by her looks, asked with a sultry spin, leaning back to lay on a sawhorse. "My sisters and I would _love_ some company," she purred, flicking her fluffy tail towards the audience. Chance's breath hitched as he picked up just a trace of heat-scent... he couldn't be sure if it was legit, or a perfume she was wearing to entice the audience, but it was a Hell of a turn on. "Ten dollars to put on a show for your comrades, twenty if you want the private room," she grinned out at the audience.

"If you're short, we'll cover you both," Greg promised with a grin.

"Deal," Jake grinned at him, a hungry rumble deep in his chest as he stood, already sliding his belt from the loops with clear intent to use it, at least to Chance's eye.

"Want to start on your own, or double-team her from the start?" Chance grinned, not getting up _just_ yet as the other Knights each kicked in a couple bucks to pay for what was sure to be an incredible show.

"Come on. I know what her scent's doing to you," Jake winked over his shoulder before he hopped up on the stage.

"You better believe it," Chance grinned, grabbing the cash on the table and taking it up, putting it in a small basket on the stage before following Jake up.

Jake stripped off his shirt before he reached her, and slid his fingers along her body from crotch to chin before he knelt to bind her wrists together under the sawhorse. "You won't walk right for a month before we're done," he promised with a sultry rumble as he shucked his boots and pants, leaving him as nude and aroused as she was. "That tabby loses his mind when a girl's in heat." 

As Chance joined him, Jake slid his fingers along her swollen, slick sex. "You take her mouth till I'm done?" he glanced at his partner as the tabby barred all proudly for comrades and dancers alike.

"Mmm... gladly," Chance grinned, moving around so she could nuzzle his rigid shaft, licking it with her broad, rough tongue.

"I'll be glad to have the extra reason to take a month off," she grinned at both of them, moaning and pressing up against Jake's fingers as Chance slid his cock into her hungry mouth.

Chance felt as much as saw the moment Jake drove into her body. The cry of pleasure wrapped around his cock as he thrust, then his partner did. Despite the nearly mind-blanking pleasure and scent all around him, he focused enough attention on what Jake was doing to be ready in case he drew too much blood, or she seemed frightened by him. Right now, though, all three of them where enjoying the simplest of pleasures.

Chance moaned lowly and reached forward, playing with her breasts as they fucked her at either end, fighting the urge to lean forward and make out with Jake.

"Damn, she's got a good mouth," he groaned as her exotic tongue lavished his cock with attention, his pre-cum dripping into her mouth.

"Good," Jake moaned, his thrusts already becoming stronger and a bit more erratic as he came close to the edge. "You're going to love it down here too," he promised as he moaned forward to kiss her lower chest. "Damn good."

A few more thrusts and Jake growled deeply and gripped her hips with both hands as he slammed into her and emptied his balls into her body with a grunting growl for each thrust and spurt of come for her.

Chance roared, and the girl's eyes went wide as she swallowed ropes of the tabby's seed, her pussy quivering around Jake's cock as he filled her, the two toms panting for a moment as other spectators came up onto the stage to play with some of the others, binding them to various degrees.

It was only a few breaths before Jake began to thrust again, seeming to have lost nothing of his hunger for having come once already.

"You are horny today," Chance chuckled and began to thrust into her mouth lightly, just taking his time and enjoying her while his partner wore himself out.

"She's hot," Jake groaned, his head lowering as he panted, his eyes closed as he willingly lost himself in her heat.


	13. Mistakenly Correct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks after landing in the middle of MegaWar II, the guys pass out in exhaustion and are seen by the wrong person.

Sandy Billins smiled as she fingered the key in her hand. They'd been back for seven hours, more than enough where they should be rested enough to be eager to see a sexy, eager playmate. Even stumbling in exhaustion they'd been a sight to drool over when they came in. Their plane, something that didn't look like it should be able to fly for all it looked like a great black eagle, was more than enough to back up the rumors that they were the Commander's Ghosts.

She'd even managed to get their names. Clawson and Furlong. Though she didn't know which was which yet. Not that it mattered with what she had in mind.

With a deep purr and already wet between her legs, Sandy unlocked the door to the guest officer quarters, and froze with the door half open.

She managed to keep the furious disgust to herself and stepped back, closing the door quietly so they wouldn't wake up, and ran to the mess, the last place she'd seen Captain Steele. He wasn't hard to spot; he hadn't finished his coffee or laughing it up with a couple other officers.

He'd do very nicely. Not smart enough to realize that throwing a fit about those two in the same bed could be hazardous to his health. He had Commander Vidon's ear too, from what he said.

"Something wrong?" He asked her as she came over to the table. Despite being pissed off, she didn't miss that his eyes came to her face _last_ , after working up the rest of her body. Well, he definitely wouldn't be likely to be on their side in this!

"I just some saw something ... you should see," she played up his view. "Those Ghosts aren't what they seem."

"They aren't?" He asked more seriously, putting down his cup and standing. "All right, show me the way. You might want to explain on the way; it's not going to be easy convincing the Major of all this."

"Just take a picture and he'll believe," she growled softly. "It's hard to deny it when it's right there in black and white. I know you have a camera in your quarters," she smiled seductively.

"I'll pick it up on the way ... just what sort of problem are you talking about with them?" He asked her, wanting to know just what he was getting into here.

"They're sleeping together," she shuddered as they left the messhall.

"You're kidding me," he frowned, though he turned to head to his room for the camera just in case.

"I wish I was," Sandy growled softly. "It's sick, but when I walked in, they were in the same bunk, and those aren't exactly big, you know. They were on top of each other!"

"Krud ... you know, they might have just collapsed there," he pointed out. "They're the Commander's golden boys...."

"The Commander doesn't know," she pointed out. "He'd be grateful to find out they aren't as trustworthy as he thought. He's no friend to fags."

"Yeah, but I'm gonna need to be able to say something besides I saw 'em there," he pointed out, checking the film. "I mean... if one of 'em just couldn't make his bunk, he's not likely to buy it, even if they are laying together like that. C'mon, let's see what we can find."

Sandy nodded and walked him to the guest quarters. She unlocked the door quietly and opened it before stepping back to let Steele see what she saw. Even expecting it this time, the sight sickened her.

If anything, it was worse than before. She could hear the skinny one purring, and his partner was fondling him in their shared sleep. With a scowl, Steele set up his camera, the flash bulb going off when he hit the button.

The world seemed to explode in the next heartbeat. She knew she screamed, but she wasn't the target even as she fled.

It was the camera, and its owner that was the target of lean muscle and cinnamon fur backed by reflexes driven home by a lifetime of being a target in his own home.

It was moments later that Chance was up and out of bed, grabbing Jake and hauling him off of the badly bleeding officer, who was showing his family's finest skills by scrambling out and trying to get away, already shouting for help. The tabby knew he wouldn't have made it if he didn't keep his hands on Jake, keep him from following his instincts and pursuing, Steele would be dead. For a tom who grew up pampered and never had to fight for a meal or on the street, Jake had a set of reflexes that never ceased to amaze him.

"Calm down," Chance said firmly after a moment, when he realized Jake wasn't. "It's over."

"Damn idiot," Jake growled, shaking himself even as a crowd gathered in response to the screams. "What the hell was he thinking?" he asked, mostly to himself as he turned to pull on his flight suit in anticipation of answering questions.

"Gods alone know," Chance muttered, grabbing his own clothes and starting to dress, sure this wasn't going to end well at _all_.

"What happened, sirs?" an MP asked just a bit more politely than he would for most from the open door.

"Idiot came in uninvited. I was hard asleep," Jake glared at the bloody tom who was making his case to a different MP in the background. "Reflexes took it from there."

"I pulled him off," Chance offered. "He took some sort of picture - who is it?"

"Captain Steele," the MP said, quickly glancing around and picking up the large handheld camera. "Any idea why?"

"No ... hang on," Chance murmured, thinking over what had happened. "We both got in late last night, we've been on call or crashed for the last couple of weeks... I think we must've crashed in the same bunk by mistake," he admitted. It was the only way Jake could've made a straight shot like that without creating more of a mess. "Tired enough after all this I could've crashed on the floor," he shrugged.

"Well, we'll see what comes of it, but if he didn't have any business walking in unannounced, I doubt it'll be worth the trouble, even for him," the MP shook his head with a sideways glance at the still agitated officer. "Especially for you two."

"Where's my camera?" Steele demanded as he stalked towards them, though he rather pointedly kept an MP between him and the Ghost glaring at him.

"Here, sir," the MP handed it back. "Did you need to tell the Ghosts anything?"

"This picture is going straight to the Commander," Steele said coldly, wiping blood from his nose. "You're not going to get out of this."

"Get out of what?" Jake growled, his tail still lashing. "Being passed out?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Steele muttered, turning and limping off, his own tail lashing as he started back towards his quarters.

"Come on, let's get something to eat while we're awake," Chance sighed, trying to distract his partner from the situation by filling a very real need. "I'm not sure I remember the last meal."

"Brush your hair first," Jake countered, turning to do the same. "Unless you need something else?" he glanced at the MP.

"No, sir," he shook his head. "This just went well over my level." 

* * *

Chance set the Black Sun down with the light thump of a controlled VTOL, but one look at the Major's face who was waiting for them, and the fact that it was a _Major_ , told him it was not going to be fun day.

"I _so_ wanted to just get a nap," Jake sighed, catching the same sight. "Maybe get some repairs done. But no, another mission."

"Maybe it's something we don't have to leave for _right now_ ," Chance tried to sound hopeful as the canopy slid back and they jumped down to salute the Major.

"It is good to see you have both returned," the Major said with a grave tone. "Captain Furlong, the Commander wishes to see you. Captain Clawson, you may do as you wish, though he will be speaking with you later."

"Get some rest, buddy," Chance murmured, squeezing Jake's shoulder before sending him off. This had to be about Steele... and knowing how his _descendants_ were, that meant it was bad. "Can you tell me anything about why, sir?" he asked the Major politely as they walked to the jeep that all officers seemed to use for transportation.

"Very little," the dark tabby didn't look comfortable talking as they settled in and he pulled away. "Just that he's more serious looking than usual. It's not usually a good thing."

"Do you at least know if it's mission related, or disciplinary action?" Chance sighed, shaking his head.

"No," the Major said. They fell silent for the remainder of the drive to the building where most of the brass worked. "Come on, someone of your caliber can't be in that much trouble. We need you too much," he finally said as they got out.

"My partner tried to rip Captain Steele apart the last time they saw each other," Chance pointed out grimly and followed the Major inside.

"That's not good," the Major admitted. "Hi Shirley," he greeted the secretary. "Captain Furlong's here."

"Go in, sir," she said with a pitying look in her hazel eyes that told him everything he needed to know. It was _not_ good. "He's expecting you."

"Thanks," he murmured, starting forward and stepping through the door, closing it behind himself as he looked at the Lion with a firm gaze.

"Captain Furlong reporting as requested, Sir," he said, snapping off a salute.

"Explain this," he tossed a single black and white photograph on his desk. "It does not look good."

Chance looked at it, keeping his reaction to the picture of he and Jake in bed carefully under wraps.

"Sir, we'd barely slept on six different continents in the last seven nights - it would've been seven, but that last night we didn't sleep," Chance pointed out. "We both crashed, he didn't have the umph to climb to the top bunk. 

It was a grainy enough picture that, if he was lucky, the Lion would just go for the plausible deniability excuse rather than point out that the tabby's hand was _not_ in a platonic position there.

The Lion leveled his gaze at the tabby. "Given where your hand is, and his excessively violent reaction, it seems rather unlikely he 'just' collapsed there, Captain. If he's the problem, you can keep flying. He'll be put somewhere he won't do any more damage."

"Sir," Chance said firmly, "my partner has been kidnapped by Traverans before; he's a little paranoid about people sneaking into his room and startling him awake with bright flashes. As for where my hand is in that picture...." He shrugged, tossing it back on the table. "I guess it happened. I was asleep at the time, I don't know what I did while I was crashed there. We _were_ both clothed."

"In your underwear is hardly clothed," the Lion growled darkly. "Look, you are a good pilot with a fine plane. You can save yourself a lot of pain by just admitting he came on to you. You don't have to go down with him for this," he motioned to the picture in disgust. "You have enough of a reputation with the shekats that it's believable."

Chance's ears went flat, his tail flicking behind him as he picked up the photo and looked at it again... then rolled it into a neat tube before handing it back.

"I'd tell you what you can do with that, but the medics don't need the work patching up the papercuts," he growled lowly.

"You're out of line, Captain," the Commander growled lowly.

"You haven't _seen_ out of line yet," Chance laughed sharply. "Sir, you were one of the people I looked up to most, and the only people above you in my estimation were some of the aces. As a Commander, I've considered you the finest in history. But if you're going to ground _either_ of us, despite the lives you _know_ we'll save in the air, because of what we may or may not have done in bed, in private, after two weeks of hard campaigning, because you're too much of a homophobic _jackass_ to be able to see past it, you can go fuck yourself. Hell, even the _Steele_ in my time knows better than that. You ground us, and you're killing your own men, and you know it." He said bluntly. "Now, should I report to the brig, or to my quarters, while you put together the court martial? Because if _either_ of us did anything, frankly, it was probably me. And I'll be _damned_ if I'm going to roll over and let somebody else take the blame for who I touched how in my fucking sleep."

The slack-jawed silence across from him lasted longer than he expected. Far longer than it would have with Feral, and as Vidon gathered his wits again, it occurred to Chance that he'd probably just done something no one else would have the balls to do to a Commander for another fifty years. Hell, he'd probably just done something that no one would do to _anyone_ in MegaKat City for another twenty years or so.

"What hold does he _have_ on you?" the Commander finally demanded. "It _can't_ be worth this."

"He's my partner," Chance said flatly, deciding that it was time to just cut his losses and go all out, though he reigned in his temper about the subject. "Yes, in every sense of that word. And I'm not going to cut him loose and let him take the lumps for me just because it'd be easier. You've got a _lot_ of pilots who've slept with guys before, sometimes sober, sometimes drunk, and it doesn't change their performance a bit. You've got line soldiers who've done it before. Hell, you've got _command officers_. And no, I'm not going to give you names."

He watched as Vidon was rocked aback again by the words and found a perverse pleasure in shattering the Lion's world like that.

"Yes, you will," the Lion growled and stood, closing his large hands into a fist as he fluffed his mane up and lowered his muzzle. "You or that partner you care about so much."

"No. I won't," Chance replied, not backing down at all. "And Jake doesn't know them; he's the science buff, not the history buff, and the Academy didn't cover the same things my history books did."

"We'll see about that," Commander Vidon closed with Chance and grabbed for his shirt.

Chance leaned back, twisting to grab the Xanith's wrist as he grabbed for open air. With a grunt for the effort, he used Vidon's momentum to carry the grab through, flipping him over his shoulder, shattering the flimsy wooden chair up against the opposite wall. He used the rest of the movement to drop into a defensive crouch, desperately wishing that his comm would work over distance in this time.

This was about to get extremely ugly, and there was no way to warn Jake.

Assuming they hadn't already grabbed him, or tried to.

A furious growl bumbled up from the Commander as he picked himself up and leveled his gaze on the tabby. It wasn't hard to read his thoughts. Surprise that a pilot knew how to fight. Anger that anyone would dare resist him. Outrage at the entire situation. Maybe even a little worry about what Chance knew about his fate.

"Commander, I don't want to hurt you. But I _will_ protect myself, _and_ Jake." Chance said, his voice steely as they faced off. "And remember; I fought in dirtier trenches than you've imagined before I started flying."

"Is that what turned you?" the Lion demanded, circling the tabby he knew better than to underestimate. "Or was it him?"

"No 'turning' needed," Chance chuckled lowly, keeping up a defensive stance, watching the Commander, but not moving to attack him. He wanted there to be no question whether or not he was defending himself. Not that it would matter much, in this time. "Sorry Commander, but you can't fit me in a box that easily. Born interested in both, and never enough of a loser to try foisting the blame off on somebody else."

The shift in the Lion's posture out of a combat one startled Chance a bit.

"Is that the world I'm saving?" he asked more quietly. "A place that doesn't care about such things?"

"I wish it was," Chance grumbled, though he shifted to a more neutral stance himself, hoping the Commander wasn't waiting for him to do it before tossing him through the wall. "It cares enough to beat the shit out of them when they get the chance. But here's the question, Commander. Aren't you fighting so Kats can be free, instead of having to let the Kantins run roughshod over us? You're saving a world that's got freedom, and still learning to handle it. What does it _matter_ who somebody sleeps with, as long as they know how to take a 'no'?"

"It matters to Bastet," Vidon told him, an unfathomable look still on his face as the door to his office opened to admit four Ghosts, all fighters. "It matters to Halikar. It matters to the _law_."

"The law's wrong," Chance said bluntly, though he didn't move to oppose the Ghosts, or the Commander. There wasn't any point to it, even if he _could_ take them... which, he had to admit, was questionable. "And funny, but Bastet and Halikar have had a lot of chances to tell me they thought I was wrong, but here I am, still out-flying nine out of ten pilots, straight or not, even without the Black Sun."

"Maybe someone else is protecting you," one of the Ghosts sneered at him as he was cuffed behind his back.

"Take him to the brig. We'll see what his partner has to say," Vidon ordered. 

* * *

Jake was tense when he saluted the Commander in his office, more than a little unsettled by the fight and blood he could still smell here, for all it had been cleaned up.

"Sir, where's my partner?" he asked evenly, keeping a wary eye on the two Ghosts in the room. It reeked of a setup. It did even more when he spotted the evidence that Commander Vidon has taken the brunt at least one solid blow to the face.

"He's making a formal statement," Vidon explained to him. "He says that you came on to him the night that picture was taken... it doesn't look good, especially given your response to Steele, but I want to give you a chance to give your side of things."

"You're lying, I don't really care, I react like that to anyone who's stupid enough to startle me, do you have any idea how tired we were when we got in? Sir." Jake responded to each statement in order, every fiber of his body ready to bolt and concealing it as well as he could.

"Just how well do you understand the laws I have to operate under?" Vidon asked him evenly. "What exactly this could mean to you?"

"I don't know them at all," Jake admitted with a shrug. "What I do know is that unless you're planning to execute me right here, we don't need you to do our part in this war, and you don't have a prayer of stopping us."

"No officer is so important that he's above the rules, Captain," Vidon said sternly. "Whether he agrees with them or not. You took an oath as an Enforcer to uphold the laws of MegaKat City, didn't you?"

"One with different laws, Sir," Jake countered. "Just what is it you think you can do to me?"

"You don't give me much choice," Vidon pointed out. "Without something to explain this, and your assault on Captain Steele, you'll be put in the brig until a court martial can be established, then either discharged, detained for insubordination and conduct unbecoming of an officer, or if you're _lucky_ , reassigned somewhere very far away from your partner."

Jake leveled his gaze at the great Lion and took a moment to choose his words more carefully than he usually did. "I do have another choice, sir. Three, in fact. We both know how easily you can drop this. We both know that you are the only reason it is moving forward. So why don't you drop the games before you piss me off and tell me what you are trying to accomplish with it?"

"I'm _trying_ to keep from having to lose _two_ officers when this becomes well known. And it will, you can count on Steele for that. You think that I can't do anything? Maybe not, but the other people on this base aren't going to take the news very well at all."

"Well, you're screwed then," Jake said with a shrug and dropped all pretense of a military manner as he relaxed with a hip against the edge of the Commander's desk. "Which means we'll managed to get home sooner, when I'm not focused on your war every minute." He took his comm out and clicked it to transmit. "Chance, time to talk."

The dead air on the other end told him clearly that Chance either wasn't in a condition to talk, or more likely, that his comm had been confiscated.

"He's currently in the brig, on the charges I mentioned and assaulting an officer," Vidon said bluntly.

"I will speak to him, now," Jake replied in the same tone, his body language warning them that 'no' would be a fatal answer without actually threatening them.

"All right," Vidon frowned, privately furious at both of them and working his mind on just what he could do about it. "You're making this much harder on both of you, you know."

"He's my partner," Jake looked at him with real pity in his eyes. "That you don't understand what means will hurt you in the end."

With that Jake turned and left with out a salute or permission, or checking to see if they were going to go with him.

The two Ghosts followed him, both keeping a careful eye on the tom as he made his way down to the brig. Chance was laying on a cot in a cell by himself when they got down there, apparently not having been up to much.

"Hay," Jake got his attention. "Have a plan?"

"Waiting to find out what happened to you," Chance shrugged slightly. "So, you my new neighbor, or aren't they making it official yet?"

"It didn't get that far," Jake said as he settled against the wall where he and Chance could see each other. "I didn't want to take any of my choices without you in on it."

"Lucky you. I managed to get tagged for assaulting an officer protecting myself," Chance chuckled lowly. "Oh, and you couldn't possibly be worth my career," he said, rolling his eyes. "So... what are the options you see?"

"If he doesn't change his mind on proceedings; resign or AWOL," Jake said, completely unconcerned that there were two Ghosts watching and listening intently. "We might actually get home if I can work on it, and you know enough of the war to know where and when to hit. It would be extremely easy to operate as an independent in these times, or for another country that doesn't care what we do in down time, as long as we'll fly when they need us."

"I don't know if we can do that, Jake," Chance pointed out with a sigh. "Point one, history doesn't have any record of another advanced fighter working for anybody else. Point two... what about when we _do_ get back?"

"You'd rather do a few years in here?" Jake asked him dryly. "If Feral wants to hold us to a resignation, I have places that will take us in a heartbeat, no questions and we name the terms."

"Jake, I think we'll be able to find other ways around it," Chance told him firmly. "Maybe actually do a little good on the way. Get things started off on the right foot, instead of with riots."

Jake let out a deep sigh, his tail flicking in annoyance. "So am I under arrest?" he looked up at the Ghosts.

"Not yet, but you're off-duty until the Commander knows what to do with you. It would be preferable if you'd stay here, but we haven't been given orders to arrest you yet."

"Open the door then," Jake nodded, more than willing to stay in the brig with his partner. "At least we don't have to be careful anymore," he purred softly to his mate.

"Sir, you're not supposed to be in the same cell...." One of the Ghosts said, clearly running into a conflict between his own distaste, procedure, and the fact that Jake _was_ cooperating.

"We're either in the same cell, or neither of us will be in a cell," Jake told him. "Given we're in trouble for being mates, we're not sleeping apart any more. Got it?"

"He's in -" the second Ghost started to say, before the first one shook his head.

"It's not worth it with these two. Just remember, you're in the _brig_. Try and have _some_ decency," he said, unlocking the door to let Jake in before relocking it, the two of them heading out.

"If we needed to, we could probably get out of here in a couple hours," Chance told Jake quietly.

"We can be out of here in a few minutes," Jake smiled and settled on the bunk barely big enough for Chance's broad frame, which meant he was basically lying on top of his partner. "I've been working on Sun's remote controls," he murmured, closing his eyes with a contented sigh. "I've missed having you there when we're sleeping."

"So've I, buddy," Chance murmured, kissing his cheek gently and wrapping his arms around him. "So... mates now?" He smiled.

"Feels like it," Jake said sleepily, his mind already largely shut down as he sank into a deep sleep.

"Glad you think so too," Chance murmured, wrapping his arms around Jake and settling in a well-deserved chance to sleep themselves out. 

* * *

Chance stirred several hours later, his body still exhausted, but his stomach growling loud enough to get through it.

"Jake?" He murmured, seeing if the tom still on top of him was awake. He wasn't... testament to just how tired _he_ was.

Chance knew that this was, in no small part, his fault. He'd hit lecture mode with the Commander when he should've just taken the fall and left it at that. At least then Jake would've managed to avoid the fallout from it. The tabby sighed and rubbed his mate's back... it _was_ good to have heard Jake say it, but of all the damned times for it to come up....

"Mmmph?" Jake mumbled at the touch, snuggling into it and his mate's chest, as the movement tried to convince his brain he _should_ be waking up against his body's objections. It was then that both their long-empty stomachs growled quite audibly and pushed him to open his eyes. "Food?"

"Nothing here," Chance admitted, his stomach growling. "Not sure if it's just not on schedule, or if they're being assholes about it."

Jake glanced over his shoulder at the sky visible threw the small barred window. "I'm betting on option two," he grumbled. "We've been out at least twelve hours. It's late morning."

"We're special then," Chance chuckled grimly. "They usually don't do this unless they're interrogating somebody... probably has something to do with putting Vidon flat on his ass."

"More likely the fact that we're mates and neither of us will take the fall for the other," Jake smiled softly and scooted up to kiss him gently. "He tried to tell me you were filing an official statement against me. Get very pissed when I called him a liar. I think he's forgotten that we _aren't_ his officers, and going home is on the priority list."

"He tried pretty much the same thing with me," Chance admitted. "Said if I'd say you came onto me, he'd brush it under the carpet and just assign you to R&D or something, leave me airborne. I told him what he could go do with himself, and kind of hit lecture mode after that."

"I bet he also left out the part where he assaulted you before you broke his nose," Jake chuckled softly, kissing him again, a little more intently, before he slipped off him to stand. "Pick the lock and scare the crap out of the guards?" Jake asked with a wicked grin.

"If we're just going to disappear on them, I made headway on another route before you got down here," Chance chuckled lowly. "Not sure if you've got anything there that'll make taking out a loose brick any easier or not. But really... we shouldn't try too hard to escape, at this point."

"I was just going to walk up and ask if they were going to get us breakfast or if I should," Jake grinned at him. "As they said, I'm not actually under arrest."

"In that case, go ahead," Chance chuckled, relaxing on the cot as he watched his partner, his mate, make very short work of picking the primitive lock with a claw.

Jake was just stepping out when the door to the brig's cellblock opened and someone neither of them recognized stepped in. The pilot carrying two trays of hot food froze, his eyes wide to see Jake standing outside with the cell door wide open.

"Relax, we're not escaping," Jake smiled at him. "Are those for us?"

"Uhm... yeah," he nodded. "You should probably get back before the guards do... and _definitely_ before the Ghosts check up on you again," he said, handing one tray to Jake.

"I'm not under arrest, technically," Jake said easily as he walked back into the cell without objection. "We were both too hungry to be polite and wait on them."

"Yeah, but... how'd you get out?" He asked, following Jake and giving Chance his tray before closing the door again. "Pick the lock?" He half-joked.

"Of course," Jake said easily as they both sat down and dug in. "Those are nothing compared to what I trained on. Thank you," he added as an afterthought after several mouthfuls of the roast turkey drenched in gravy.

"You're welcome... you don't deserve what they're doing, _especially_ not to get starved out," the pilot offered as Chance started eating too. "So ... is it true?"

"Depends on the it," Jake said, letting his mate continue eating. "Him assaulting an officer is BS, not that we really expect anyone to believe that Vidon made the first swing. That I assaulted Steele, technically true, though he was in my quarters uninvited and without valid cause. At least in our time he'd be in more trouble than I would be over it. That he got a picture of anything more than the fact that I didn't make it to the top bunk that night is false, not that we expect anyone's likely to believe it. I doubt many grasp just how hard we've been flying since we got here. That we're mates, yes, that's true, though we haven't actually slept together since we got here."

"That's what I'd heard... Steele's been griping about it since," he admitted. "You guys... well... you don't look like tailraisers," he offered.

"Thanks," Chance said between bites, recognizing the effort the other pilot was making.

"Probably because neither of us are the stereotype folks think of," Jake said without taking much attention from his first solid meal in at least a day. "We grew up with different standards of acceptable."

"It's... is it _really_ that acceptable, in your time?" He asked with a funny look on his face.

"Don't worry, not nearly as much as it should be," Chance sighed.

"It's just not illegal anymore," Jake added, his meal almost finished.

"Well, it's not... look, the rest of us _still_ look up to you guys, you're the best pilots we've got, it's just...." He shuddered, not really able to finish whatever he was thinking.

"It makes you sick to think of what we might do in bed," Chance finished for him. "I know.

"But why ... why?" the pilot asked, struggling to understand, to put some kind of reason he could grasp to it.

"I was born interested in both, but when one of your formative experiences includes a shekat cutting your balls off while she gets off, it kind of takes attraction out of the gender," Jake said with a slight shudder, knowing full well what the tom wanted to hear and giving it to him without lying.

"Yeegh... that could do it," he shuddered, looking more than a bit ill. "Look... I should get going, but I'll check in after training today to see if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks," Jake smiled at him. "What's your name?"

"Lieutenant Pendergast," he smiled, giving them a brief salute before he headed back up.

"Never thought _this_ would be the rough part of ending up in MegaWar II," Chance mused.

"Is it?" Jake gave him a curious look even as they both finished eating. Even though they were both still hungry, it wasn't nearly so bad anymore. It was a good meal, just not enough to make up for the chronic lack they'd dealt with for two weeks.

"Well... okay, maybe not, but it's close," Chance sighed. "Not _saying_ anything is the hard part... you've seen how good at it I am already," he smirked.

"I'm not much better," Jake chuckled with a smile for his partner. "It feels like we've been together a lot longer than two and a half months," he murmured before licking his tray clean for every last calorie.

"Hell, I didn't even know that was all the longer it'd been," Chance admitted, cleaning his own tray. 

Jake smiled softly. "Well, we _have_ been partners in every other way for almost seven years now. Adding the sex isn't a big leap after what else we've been through."

"Yeah, well, anyway. Thanks for not taking off earlier," Chance looked up at him.

"I'd never leave you," Jake said softly and stood to sit next to his partner. A happy, contented sound escaped his throat when Chance wrapped an arm around his side and drew him close. "No matter what, these are choices _we_ make."

"Maybe, but I could tell you didn't really get my reasons," Chance admitted, rubbing his side, turning to kiss his cheek. "Hope this doesn't turn Agetha off dealing with us... really don't want her to be stuck back in this time when the time comes."

"Tell me then?" Jake looked up curiously. "I doubt she wouldn't take a rescue just because of something she hears. Girl's got survival instincts to spare."

"Not if we're offering it at the time," Chance agreed. "Just be easier if she isn't freaked out by us. Anyways, the reason I don't want to just go free-agent... you've heard of the Stonewall Riots, right?"

"Yeah," Jake nodded. "Most folks have, I think."

"Less than you might think," Chance chuckled. "Just wanted to check. Anyways... the riots pushed the city to legalize gay couples and _start_ moving towards equal rights, but it was still a move based on violence and distrust. Honestly... it probably won't do a damn thing, but I'm kinda hoping we can get things moving on the _right_ foot, with good examples instead of people fighting in the streets for the privilege of not being beat up by cops."

"That's not for almost six years," Jake frowned. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to be here that long."

"Neither do I," Chance agreed. "But I mean making an example here ... we're being shafted, and people are recognizing that. If they can realize that it's for something as stupid as it is ... maybe we can speed things up a little bit."

"Maybe," Jake nodded. "Given the guy in charge, I seriously doubt it though."

"It's worth a chance though," Chance pointed out. "Even if he's trying to bury us, the word's already getting out and doing _some_ good... that's one guy who'll have to think about it, at least."

"I know," Jake smiled slightly and kissed him before relaxing against his side as much as he could in a cell. "Whenever a hero turns out to be some kind of freak, it makes people think. I don't want to leave, but I won't let him bully either of us into something we'll regret. I know the badge means less to me than it does to you."

"It'll depend on what happens," Chance nodded. "Wouldn't be the first time I'd left the Enforcers," he admitted with a bit of a shrug. "And it's not like Feral'd hold us to it."

"Hu?" Jake blinked at him.

"I went cop for a stretch, remember?" Chance chuckled lowly. "I'm sure Meg's told you about that, if nobody else has."

"She did, I just forget they aren't considered Enforcers like we are," Jake smiled and nuzzled his neck. "What's likely to happen to us? You know the time better."

"Depends on if the Commander's actually willing to lose us," Chance admitted. "He'll probably try splitting us up... put you in R&D, put me somewhere nice and forgettable, where he doesn't have to worry about us."

"He's already tried that, saying it was a best case scenario for me," Jake said softly, his fingers rubbing his partner's powerful thigh. "What's the worst he can do to us, before we walk out on him?"

"If he _does_ try to forget us down here, we're gone," Chance muttered. "Reassignment might not be that bad though, not if you can work on getting us home... honestly, he might be glad to be rid of us for now."

"Agreed," Jake nodded and gave him a light push down. "I want a few more hours sleep before anything more happens."

"You'll get no argument from me," the big tabby chuckled and lay back, easily settling in to sleep until food or company came again. He couldn't help but be comforted by the warm weight on top of him. It wasn't their most comfortable bed, but they were together.


	14. New Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When their new orders come down, it's not a court-martial and the brig, nor is it an attempt to separate them, but both the guys wonder if this might be worse.

Jake glanced up from the small sketchpad Lieutenant Pendergast had brought him when the Ghosts walked in after four days of being largely ignored except for the young pilot and a few others. Just from their manner, both prisoners knew their fate had been decided and they stood to greet it as they did everything; as partners. They didn't touch, or speak, or hold hands, they simply stood together and waited for the door to open, or be told it never would be.

"It seems somebody's on your side," one of them sneered and unlocked the door. "You're getting transferred," he held out a set of papers to the pair before they turned to leave.

"At least we'll be going together," Chance mused, opening the papers as the door shut behind the Ghosts. "They've only sent one set of... oh _shit_ ," he groaned, looking at the details there. "We might've just seen the other line I hadn't thought about...."

"What?" Jake moved to read over his arm and went stiff, his tail ramrod strait and completely fluffed in a heartbeat after his brain locked on one word in the papers.

_Traveris._

"Jake?" He dimly heard Chance saying. "Jake, c'mon, I can't have you passing out on me here," he said, shaking Jake's shoulder. "We've gotta figure out what we're going to do."

The lean tom gulped a breath, nodded, and slowly got his breathing under control, though his fur was still completely fluffed out.

"Okay. Orders to Traveris," Jake made himself say and tried to focus on the paperwork again. "As what?"

"That's the good news," Chance murmured. "We're listed as going there _specifically_ for defense... if they try anything, we can book and come back here without breaking our orders. Doubt the Commander'd care... Hell, he probably thought it was a cute idea," he muttered. "Fucking bastard."

"Does he know about my time there?" Jake asked softly as he pulled up all the cultural information he had learned for the trip that had gone so horribly wrong. Except for names, almost all of it would apply. "I want to know just how pissed to be at him."

"Very... and a bit at me," Chance admitted. "I think I let it slip somewhere in there when I was fuming at him."

"Okay," Jake began flipping through the papers. "Of course, no actual intel in here. You want the cultural briefing now or on the way there?"

"We're going?" Chance blinked, more than a little surprised. He'd been sure that this would be more than Jake was willing to take.

Jake glanced at up him, still visibly terrified except for his eyes. Those were determined, and more than a little angry.

"Buddy, I've been terrified shitless of these people most of my life," he nearly growled. "This is my chance to face it, beat it, and I think I can with you there. I _hate_ being afraid like this. Of knowing if anybody turned one of them loose on me they can break me in a couple weeks, a month or two and I'd build a jet for them. I want to take my life back."

"All right then," Chance nodded. "But if it starts going too far, I'll pull the plug," he told Jake. "For either of us."

"Agreed," he nodded and took another deep breath. "Let's go."

"Right," Chance nodded, walking out along with him. "We're going to have to get showered before we get going ... we reek," he chuckled weakly.

"I think there's one here," Jake murmured uncertainly. "We don't have quarters anymore, and I'm not sure I want to go to the gym."

"No, that would be a bad idea," Chance agreed. "Let's look around a bit before we head out to the jet."

Jake nodded and sniffed the air. "This way," he headed for one of several non-descript doors. It opened to a simple full bathroom with a shower just big enough for a Xenith to clean up in. There was a lot of open space too, more than enough for a couple guards to watch a prisoner while they cleaned up.

"You want it first?" Chance asked Jake easily. "Start that briefing while we clean up?"

"Sounds good," the lean tom nodded and stripped down before he turned the water on. "They're a matriarchal warrior society where males are property. First of their mothers, then of their wives. Very Amazon-like."

"So how do a couple of fly _boys_ manage to convince them we can be any good?" Chance asked, watching his partner's body with an open interest he hadn't dared show before.

"There is a warrior tom tradition. They're about as common as warrior women during our Dark Ages, but they exist. They're more common among the nobles, as much as that means. I have met one. They have to prove themselves pretty regularly, but it's non-lethal combat, bordering on ritualized. I haven't seen that, but between the shekats it's more like a sparring match. We'll probably have a few challenges, but since we're there on invitation of the Queen, it shouldn't be too bad."

"Hopefully she won't be the one challenging anything," Chance muttered. "Rank based on skill?"

"And breeding," Jake moaned his fur soaked to the skin and his body began to respond to his love of the water. "Legally, a half-breed commoner tom could make it to Queen, but the reality is that he'd never be allowed to make it. On the up side for us, especially among warrior toms, being gay is the norm. A warrior is expected to have a male mate, even when they are male. Also, the bottom is the ranking position, since it's the one that is like being the female."

"Well, that's something... there a problem with male warriors having male warrior mates?" Chance asked, reminding himself that now was _not_ the time to let arousal get involved. There'd be time for that later.

"The shekats can, so I expect the males can," Jake began to lather himself up. "From what I understand, a male warrior or a female husband doesn't have separate rules from a female warrior or a male husband. When you switch over, you take the entire package of the other gender, socially."

"They separate husband from mate, right?" Chance frowned. "Seems a little awkward otherwise."

Jake paused, thinking back. "They have husband/wife, lover, concubine and slave. Mate is the husband/wife level, but I don't think they actually use the term. We'd be safest using lover. It's accurate, and is unlikely to be taken the wrong way. Yeah, slavery is legal and common among nobles."

"Not for the commoners, though?" Chance asked him. "So it's just the nobles we have to watch out for?"

"I think so, but my briefing only really dealt with the nobles, since they were who I was working with," he admitted. "Given owning a slave is expensive, it would limit who could own one to the nobles and wealthy merchants for the most part."

"Point," Chance nodded. "Shouldn't be something we have to worry about, as far as owning goes, I wouldn't think."

"The real danger is in something happening where we end up owned in their minds," Jake shuddered down to his bones and went back to scrubbing his fur clean. "I don't know even half the ways it could probably happen, but I know if you're captured you are. So yeah, Nobles and their guards are the dangerous ones."

"And I'm guessing that turning down a challenge screws you as bad as losing one," Chance grumbled. "What about beating somebody you shouldn't?"

"I don't know," Jake admitted. "As an outsider invited there on business, I was supposed to be except from challenges, and no one challenged me. But I wasn't a warrior either. I got the feeling it was like my rightful owner had sent me there, and that made me off limits. Or maybe the lady I was designing the leisure jet for counted me as part of her household while I was working. The trouble didn't come until I was finished and on my own time for a few days before my flight home."

"I should check if they've got activated/deactivation dates on the papers," Chance mused, doing so. "We want to be out of there right when we should be...."

"Agreed," Jake shivered as he turned the water off and blowers on. "I don't suppose there's a brush out there?"

"Immediate, and indefinite," the tabby half grumbled before looking around and picking one up. "It's probably seen a lot of use."

"I'm sure, and we don't have clean clothes to change into until we get to the jet, but it's something," he sighed, trying to make quick work of a normally leisurely activity.

"Agreed... at least we'll just smell like we've been in a jet for a while, not like we've been stewing for them."

"Something like that," Jake nodded and turned the blowers off, though he wasn't completely dry. "At least we'll be presentable enough."

"Maybe we'll get a chance to powder down on the way," Chance offered, stripping down and taking Jake's place in the shower as he finished drying. He didn't miss the way his mate, his lover, looked at him, at the hunger in the other tom's body and eyes, but like he had, Jake kept it at looking as he dressed in the flight suits they'd worn for who knew how many battles and the last four days in the brig.

"Maybe swing by Little Anakata on the way?" Jake sounded hopeful. "We have plenty of time."

"As long as you're not worried about the smell this time," Chance chuckled, smiling back at Jake. Hell, his own groin made it obvious just how interested he was, having been in bed with him for days and kept their activities to the occasional kiss.

"I think I can put up with it this time," he replied with a low purr and relaxed back against the sink to enjoy watching his partner wash up. "It'll be my scent this time."

"Does it bug you when it isn't?" Chance asked seriously.

"Just when I'm stuck in close quarters," Jake shook his head. "Like the cockpit. That has more to do with being distracting than anything. I don't mind you sleeping around."

"I just want to check once in a while," Chance smiled. "Anything more handy on Traveris?"

"It's hot as fuck, has no natural fresh water, a fair bit of magic and if you see something that's not a Caracal, pity them," Jake rattled off. "They drove of pretty much everything else out a long time ago. "Oh, and don't say anything nice about the Golden Kingdom. They're bitter, long-time enemies."

"Right, I remember something about that," Chance nodded. "One of the things that kept the Goldens out of MWII." He finished washing up, drying off as well as he could. "So, anything else, or get going?"

"Let's get out of here," Jake shook himself out. "I never thought I could look forward to something about Traveris."

"I'm sure we'll laugh about it when we get back to our own time... with a little luck, we might be able to find a mage who can send us back and won't ask for something we can't give in exchange," Chance managed a grin as he got into a flight suit he really wanted to have washed first.

"We've gotten that lucky before," Jake nodded, stealing a quick kiss just as there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Lieutenant Pendergast," the familiar voice called back. "I brought a couple clean uniforms, if you're descent. The guard said you were showering."

"We're dressed," Jake promised before he opened the door with absolute relief on his face. 

"Sorry they're just ground pounder uniforms," the youth said. "But they're clean."

"It's okay," Jake promised him. "You have no idea how much these are welcome," he took them and closed the door, sure that the Lieutenant wouldn't want to watch them change.

"We really do appreciate this," Chance called out to him, changing as quickly as he could. "Even for my standards, that was getting a little ripe."

"After probably a week and gods only know how many battles, oh yeah," Jake grinned, stretching and looking so much happier for having clean clothes on. "I don't care if they're grunt uniforms. They're clean."

"Yeah, we can change into the local pilot ones for the last of the flight," Chance agreed and opened the door. "At least look good coming in."

"I don't suppose you brought tooth brushes?" Jake looked hopefully at Pendergast, who winced.

"Sorry. I didn't think of that," he admitted. "I just knew you hadn't gotten clean clothes in days."

"It's okay," Jake patted his shoulder and purposefully ignored the reflexive flinch away the youth made. "We've got supplies on the jet for it. I just don't like using them. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Yes, sirs," Pendergast smiled uncertainly as he held back from them as they walked out into the sunshine for the first time in days.

"Here's hoping they didn't do any damage to the Blackie," Jake said quietly, his stance confident and determined but his eyes warily taking in everything and everyone in range.

"I don't think they'd dare," Chance pointed out. "Even if they didn't want us flying her, they wouldn't risk leaving her in a shape nobody else could."

"I'm not thinking it might be sanctioned," Jake pointed out with a somewhat wistful look at the mess as they walked up to it, knowing they had to pass a last meal by if they wanted to get out without a massive fight. "Just somebody looking to hurt us."

"Knights," a gravelly voice called them a halt just outside the mess hall. The pair turned to see a grizzled Staff Sergeant walking up to them at a strong pace, his face scarred and expression determined. He wasn't alone either. Half a dozen others flanked him.

Chance recognized the unit insignia with something of a shock. He knew the Roughnecks existed in this war, but never expected to see the unit he'd served with on the front lines of Lothos.

Unfortunately, in this era, they didn't know he was one of them... and if they did, they'd be even more pissed off. Might keep them off of Jake though.

"We don't have time to chat, Staff Sergeant," Chance called out to them. "We've got orders for a transfer, we're taking off ASAP."

The group stopped and saluted; a sharp, coordinated movement that was as flawless as it was honest.

"Look, I know what they're saying about you two, but you saved my entire platoon out at Vingrae," Staff Sergeant Krizer offered his hand purposefully to Chance and in full view of the mess. "My boys and I would make sure no one bothers you while you're on base. Fair's fair, sirs."

Chance let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, the tension leaving his body.

"And Steele bought his bars," a Lance Corporal added from the back.

"Doesn't surprise me," Chance said. "Sorry about being so curt; we're a little on-edge right now."

"You've got every right to be," Krizer acknowledged. "If you weren't heroes to us, you'd be getting what you expected, seeing us coming," he told them. "Do you really need to take off, or do you have time for the meal your gunner wants and have your uniforms washed?"

"And that's about it," Chance nodded. "The transfer said 'immediately' but more because the Commander wanted to get rid of us."

"Give your dirty ones to Bramble," he nodded to the Lance Corporal who'd spoken earlier. "You'll have to eat in the enlisted mess if we're going to watch your back, but I can promise you they won't mess with your or your food."

"Trust me, I don't have any problems with the enlisted mess... at least not that you guys don't have too," Chance chuckled with a grateful smile, bundling up his uniform and Jake's and handing them over. "Thanks, I know this isn't easy for any of us."

Krizer nodded as Bramble took off at a fast walk to the washing facilities and the group turned to head for the enlisted mess with the two officers in the center of a loose protective circle. "You were enlisted once?" he asked Chance after a quiet moment.

"Yeah, I was," Chance nodded. "Started out as a grunt before they realized I could fly."

"It still shows," Krizer told him with a tone that even Jake recognized was of a complement.

"Thanks," Chance grinned, following them into the mess to get a decent meal. 

* * *

"Sweet," Jake purred as he looked out the left of the cockpit when Chance brought Black Sun around for a landing near the pink sand beach where he'd been with Agetha Feral a not quite three weeks before.

"Isn't it?" Chance purred. "Can't get out here without a private boat or a seaplane ... or VTOL," he grinned, touching down on the island just inland of the beach.

Jake grinned and breathed deeply of the warm, fragrant air when the canopy slid back before he leapt to the ground. "Was the sand nice?" he winked up at his partner.

"It's no mattress, but it does the job," Chance chuckled, following him down. "Care to find out for yourself?" He asked with a knowing grin, glad they'd still worn the grunt uniforms out this far.

"You know I do," Jake turned and caught his mate's collar to pull him in for a long, hungry kiss. He unzipped the buff tabby's coverall-like uniform as he slid his hands down to cup the full, heavy balls when they were exposed. "But first, I want a little snack."

"And you know I'm not about to deny you," Chance purred, kissing Jake back just as hungrily before the lean tom slid to his knees to nuzzle the tabby's groin. "Been _way_ too fucking long," he moaned, shivering as Jake took one of his balls into his mouth, lavishing it with attention with his tongue.

"Oh fuck yeah," Chance let his head fall back and his coverall-uniform slip from his shoulders. "Damn you do that like nobody else."

He reached down, rubbing Jake's ears, forgetting what time they were stuck in out here, where nobody was around - or would be, for decades. His cock stiffened, slipping out of his sheath as his balls twitched in Jake's mouth. This was something Jake enjoyed doing, that almost no one else would bother doing for him. It made it all the better, and for all he wanted to hold back, after days of being so close to his partner, his mate, and not being able to enjoy it, there wasn't much will behind it.

"Damn you're good," the tabby panted, his body trembling lightly and his hips thrusting of their own accord.

"I love what it does to you," Jake purred as he let the heavy orb slip from his mouth and shifted up a bit to sink down on the full, hard cock, deep throating the tabby in a single motion.

Chance roared after only the second time his partner's head came up and started to move down again. Unable to hold back any longer, his balls pulled up and sprayed his seed into Jake's mouth and down his throat to be swallowed.

He leaned forward slightly as the spasms settled, taking support from his partner as he caught his breath and was cleaned up.

"Mmm, so, enough left in there to fuck me senseless again?" Jake purred deeply, looking up at his mate with raw, unabashed desire.

"Enough to try," Chance grinned. "Let's see that cute ass of yours," he purred throatily as Jake stood to claim a kiss that tasted far more of Chance than Jake.

"Anytime you want it, buddy," Jake chuckled and stripped down, watching as Chance finished undressing. "I love what you do to me," he rumbled and sank to his hands and knees in the soft pink sand, his tail over his back and his cock already hard and fully exposed.

"And I love doing it to you," Chance rumbled, mounting him from behind, reaching around to stroke Jake's cock as he sank his own into the tom's tight, hot ass. "Fuck... been _way_ too long...."

"Oh _yes_ ," Jake threw back his head with a cry of ecstasy as they easily slipped into a rhythm that would get them both off easily and often. "Deep and hard," he panted.

Chance was grateful for the blowjob right about now; it meant that he wasn't about to fill Jake's ass the moment he sank into it. Instead, he started thrusting harder and deeper, pounding Jake ass and stroking his cock.

"Come for me, handsome," he rumbled, biting down on Jake's scruff possessively. It was all it took to set of the intensely subby tom.

Jake roared, his body squeezed down around his lover tightly, the muscles twitching and spasming to squirt his seed over Chance's strong hand and the soft, pink sand below them.

"More," Jake whimpered through his grunting orgasm. "Fuck me more."

"Got a hungry ass today, don't you?" Chance rumbled, thrusting until he roared, filling Jake's ass. He pulled out, flipping Jake onto his back and laying on top of him, thrusting back into his ass with a smooth motion that came of plenty of practice.

"Hungry for you," Jake moaned before pulling his mate's head in for a heavy kiss.

Chance kissed him back hungrily, licking his own seed out of Jake's mouth as he thrust between the tom's raised legs, eager to put more of it into his ass. Warm sea-water washed up around their feet as they fucked without any of the concern for being spotted they'd had ever since their arrival.

It was sweet. Almost as sweet as getting to really enjoy each other's bodies for the first time in three weeks of either being too tired or too careful for it.

Jake squeezed his eyes shut, his body trembling as he whimpered, whined and shuddered at the intense, deep pounding he was getting. "Love, you buddy."

"Love you too," Chance murmured, groaning into Jake's mouth as he came again, his cock twitching inside his mate as Jake came with him, squeezing down around him with a rhythm that was only sex at it's most intense.


	15. Traveris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys arrive in Traveris, and it's not at all what either of them expected, though Jake isn't as turned around by it as Chance.

"Last chance to call this off," Chance offered his partner in a soft voice as the desert sped by below them, only their internal tracking instrumentation telling them they were crossing into Traveran airspace.

Jake drew a deep breath, focused past the fear he had largely under control, and nodded.

"I want to face this," he said firmly. "I need to know if I'll ever be free of it."

"All right," Chance nodded. "Hopefully they'll give us quarters near the airstrip, in case we need to make a fast escape. Should I handle the face-to-face stuff?"

Jake took a deep breath. "As much as they'll let you. If they figure out I'm supposed to be in charge, they'll expect me to do the talking. It's a very structured society."

"Anything I can do to keep them from figuring that out?" Chance asked him hopefully.

"Be yourself," Jake chuckled softly. "You act like you're in charge of everything anyway, just keep it up, and let me be quiet."

"Will do," Chance chuckled. "And don't hit on everything that moves."

"That would be good too," he grinned just before the radio beeped for their attention with the Traveran capitol just visible on the horizon. "That means you answer," he added.

Chance flipped it on, and struggled to understand the heavily accented female voice on the other end. It only took him a moment to realize he'd never get it. It wasn't accented Katian, it was something else entirely.

"Tell her 'Eshtha Katian. Black Sun of MegaKat City'," Jake suggested.

Chance nodded, carefully, haltingly repeating what Jake had said. This would be an added wrinkle... he couldn't very well be the 'face' if he couldn't speak their language.

The Traveran said something, and the line went silent.

"She said 'okay', more or less," Jake said, then snickered to himself. "Well, actually she said 'cursed ignorant foreigner toms'. She's going to get somebody that speaks Katian. That's what I had you ask for. And I don't know that much, but I learned enough to get along for six months of living there."

"Okay, but how am I going to be the one talking if you're the one they understand?" he glanced back at his partner even as he shifted Black Sun's course to do a wide, lazy circle around the city until they were cleared to land somewhere.

"You talk, I translate when needed," he suggested. "As long as I'm just translating, they won't take me for being in charge."

"Understood," Chance nodded. "It'll help you work your way into dealing with them too, I guess."

"Black Sun, this is Traveris," a somewhat less than completely confident female voice came over the radio. "You are ... expected. How much land do you need?"

"She means to land," Jake said quickly.

"Just a couple hundred feet," Chance said after a glance at their fuel gauge, which was still well past the halfway mark. "Without anything flammable around them."

There was a long pause of silence on the other end.

"Remember, they don't have aircraft yet. Their first airfield won't be for another seventy years or so," Jake said. "There will be some delay while they figure out where we can land."

"No wonder they need our help," Chance murmured, making sure his comm was off before he said it. "Especially with Lothos."

"Black Sun," the Traveran was back. "Watch for the flair to the east of the city. Space will be marked at her."

"Will do," Chance nodded, bringing the jet around so they could look for it. There was nothing for several minutes, giving him an uneasy feeling.

"I'm betting she had to send a rider there," Jake said, looking at the city below them. "It could be a while."

"We'll keep an eye out for it," Chance promised. "Are we cleared to fly over the city?" He asked them, not sure just how secret they wanted to keep them.

"No ... fright packs," the Traveran said, audibly struggling for the right words.

Jake clicked his transmitter on. "En'o kietia vi sama?" He tried to sound sure of his words, even though he was desperately hoping he got them right.

"Sh'e," she replied quickly before Jake turned his transmitter off.

"Yes, we can fly around the city, just don't frighten the animals," Jake translated. "They don't use vehicles very often. It's almost all riding and pack lizards, some horses, camel and ox, even in modern times. Keep it above three hundred and we should be fine."

"Understood," Chance said, getting back on the line. "We'll stay up where they won't worry about us," he promised, starting a flyover of the city, always keeping an eye out for signs of the flare.

It was a large place, for a desert city. The buildings were a combination of sandstone, stucco and mud brick. All except for the palace at it's center. That was gleaming white marble with gold and the shine of gems, metal and other stones decorating the facade of the open, airy place surrounded by lush green and water.

"It's a pity about their other problems," he murmured. "It's a beautiful place, for hot and dry."

"The Goldens are _much_ better, and the same climate," Jake pointed out, checking out what had changed in the century and some since he'd seen the place the first time. "If this is everything wrong about a matriarchy, they're how to do it right."

"Maybe we can arrange to spend our next vacation there," Chance mused. "Assuming we ever get back to a time when commercial flights exist."

"We're _going_ to," Jake said firmly, that tone the tabby rarely head but knew instantly, instinctively, meant he'd just joked about something Jake was taking too seriously to joke about. "I am _not_ spending the rest of my life in this ass backward, homophobic, techless time."

"Relax, Jake, I wasn't serious," Chance told him. "Worst case scenario, we get this fucking war over with and then get back once you can focus on it... more likely, I think I'll be able to find a mage in a place like this."

"Here, the Golden Kingdom, or Veldt," Jake nodded. "There it is," he pointed to the streak of dark blue going into the sky. "All three have fairly strong magical traditions."

"We'll worry about it later," Chance nodded, taking off for the flare and going in for a STOL landing.

"I really hope someone told them about our fuel needs," Jake murmured to himself as he glanced at their welcoming party. A half dozen nobles in full warrior finery, mounted on light, long-legged horses dressed just as ostentatiously as their riders. "Oh boy," he drew in a calming breath before the cockpit slid back.

"The Commander _couldn't_ be _that_ pissed off at us," Chance reassured him, getting up and jumping down to the ground, taking off his helmet and carrying it under one arm, trying to look as confident as he could... at the very least, more confident than he felt.

"Hello; do any of you speak Katian?" He asked hopefully.

One of the lower ranking nobles came forward, still mounted. At least he guessed she was lower ranked; she'd been towards the back.

"I do," the Caracal fem told him. "Welcome to Traveris, warriors," she spoke in the measured words of one who was not quite fluent, but reasonably confident of their choice of words. "Does your ... ... ride require care?"

"We'll need fuel before we go anywhere particularly far away, but that's all; did our Commander inform you of the type required?" He asked them.

"Yes," she nodded. "It has been arranged for in the amount you require. You are Captain Chance Furlong, the Sundancer?"

"I am," he nodded. "This is Captain Jake Clawson, the Raven," he said, introducing Jake. The motion gave him a chance to look at his partner, and the most conflicting body language he'd seen in a long time. His posture was strait, his ears were up and shoulders squared, but his tail was tucked around his leg and his gaze was down. Not too unlike facing an officer you were honestly scared of. Posture was military; the rest was submission and praying not to get hurt.

"He is the one that speaks Traveran?" she asked.

"Yes," Chance nodded, a little surprised that she then turned her attention to Jake. It gave him an opportunity to check out their welcome party a little better. They were all warriors, he could see it in their posture, in their bodies. They were all interested in them both, but most were checking Jake out with obvious interest.

"What is it?" she asked Jake, motioning towards their jet.

"A haweet," he pronounced the word carefully for her. "Jet in Katian. We named her the Black Sun, the Sek-Su," he motioned with a closed fist and flared it open over his face.

The shekat nodded and turned back to Chance. "I am Asaytae. I will be your translator for much of your stay. This is Lady Mi'ku," she bowed to the leader of the party.

"An honor," Chance said with a bow of his own. "Is our assistance needed immediately, or is there time for us to settle in before a mission, perhaps send a message back to let our Commander know we've arrived?"

Asaytae translated to the lilting, vowel-heavy language. Lady Mi'ku spoke to Chance.

"She welcomes you to Traveris," Asaytae translated. "You will not be needed until morning. Please come and enjoy the feast in your honor, rest and bathe." She made a small motion and two fine, well-decorated horses were brought forward for them. "Please bring your things out. Servants will bring them to your quarters."

Chance swore mentally, wracking his brain for everything he knew about horses and how to ride even as he saw Jake turn to the Black Sun and pull out their two half-full seabags from the bomb bay.

Frankly, it didn't take him long.

He just hoped that, for once, old movies had gotten it right as he slipped his foot into the stirrup and lifted himself up into the saddle, steadying himself as he tried to get used to the idea. Bikes were so much easier than having things that were actually _alive_ under your ass.

Still, the beast seemed cooperative, and he watched with some relief that Jake seemed to only have a vaguely better idea of how to ride.

Asaytae brought her mount up next to theirs, positioning herself outside Chance, opposite of Jake, and the group turned to enter the city, reversing their order so the highest ranking one was leading.

"Your Commander? Is angry with you?" she asked as they entered the mud-brick, stucco and stone city with few buildings more than two or three stories tall.

"A bit, yeah," Chance admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"He said you would train snipers," she said. "To fire rifles. It does not sound like you expected this."

"I didn't," Chance said evenly. "I can do it though. Did he say anything about what Jake was expected to do?"

"As I understand, he meant both of you to train," she said. "Jake is your gunner, correct? The one who shoots in the jhet," she tried to pronounce the new word very carefully.

"Jet," Jake corrected her politely.

"J-et," she repeated, and he nodded that she'd gotten it right this time.

"Yes, he is, but he's not as good with a rifle," Chance explained. "Do you have any mounted weapons?"

"They don't use mechanical vehicles," Jake told him. "I am right?" he glanced at Asaytae.

"Yes," she nodded politely. "We do not," she told Chance. "We are the mounted weapons," she motioned to their horses and the riders.

"Wasn't sure if you had anything you'd put on a cart," Chance explained. "We'll keep it in mind," he promised, quietly promising himself that the Commander _was_ going to hear about this in the future.

He just hoped they didn't decide to do training with live targets.

The conversation fell silent as they passed into the palace grounds, a realm of water and green where mud and stucco had no place. It was all stone of some kind, most of it polished to a fine shine, where there were not plants or glittering pools. It made it very easy to forget they were in one of the more brutal desserts on the planet. It was also a reminder that this was a magic rich land.

In the distance, watching them from behind plants and statues, male Caracal, noticeably smaller than the females, peeked out to watch them. Kittens were among them as well. All wore fine silks, though the males wore far less than the female kittens.

Chance looked around, taking in their surroundings, though he had to focus some on riding. He just hoped it wouldn't be spooked by something. And that this would be as amiable a dealing as it seemed. From what Jake had said, the 'indefinite' clause in their transfer could save them, or guarantee they were screwed.

Helpers, young girls and toms from early adolescence to adults, soon appeared to take their mounts, holding the reins of the docile beasts as their riders dismounted.

"Would you want local warrior-tom clothing, or have extra clothes in your j-et?" Asaytae asked as they settled on the ground again.

"We do have extra clothes in the jet, though local warrior-tom clothing might help put any students more at ease," Chance said easily. "Our outfits aren't really designed for desert wear," he admitted.

"I will arrange for it while you bathe before the feast," she said as she led them inside, and they separated from the main group.

"Thank you," he nodded politely.

Inside the palace it was relatively cool and breezy, the polished white and gold marble was everywhere, and fine statues of male and female Caracals, local and exotic animals, were regularly placed. The looks they got from those they passed varied greatly; distrust, hatred, curiosity, lust, fear ... it seemed like every emotion possible existed in response to their presence. Chance made sure to take note of some of the faces... particularly the ones who seemed pissed off by their appearance, and _especially_ those who looked interested.

"Anybody I should know who they are before we meet?" Chance asked her hopefully.

"You will not be expected to know who people are without an introduction. Unlike you, we do not display our names," she indicated the name badge on his flight suit that said Furlong in sewn letters. "I have taught four ... servants ... a few useful words of Katian. It should be enough to get what you wish."

"The names on the suit are mostly for when things go really wrong," he chuckled lowly. "Thanks though. I just wanted to check; I've dealt with enough high-ranked people back home who expected everybody to know who they are that I thought I'd check."

"No one will mistake you for anything but what you are," she promised and opened an unlocked, carved wooden door to show them a large, open room with many windows, all done in the same polish marble as what they'd seen already. There were several large piles of pillows, a decorative fountain on one wall.

Jake could smell the bath in an adjoining room, likely the open archway.

But what caught both their attentions the most was the four Caracal toms on the pillows in the middle of the room. They weren't wearing much, though given the climate, that wasn't surprising, and they all looked nervous.

Wonderful.

"The servants you mentioned?" Chance asked their translator evenly even as he stole a glance for Jake's reaction, and saw far too much recognition there.

"Yes," she nodded. "They will help you bathe, fetch anything you ask for, keep your quarters clean and tend to all your needs while you are here."

"Pets, slaves or servants?" Jake asked, not trusting his memories to tell the three levels apart.

"Nomoen is a pet," she motioned for the prettiest of the four and likely nearly their age. "He is well-trained for more than pleasure however. Lady Mi'ku has pets she likes more now. "Ethus and Hlan are palace slaves. Naul is a palace servant."

"What relation is Lady Mi'ku to the Queen?" Jake asked.

"They are littermates," Asaytae said. "Would you like privacy for your bath?"

"Please," Chance nodded. "We haven't had a chance to really relax for one for a while... are we expected anywhere at any particular time?"

"It would be good to arrive for the feast in your honor before dusk," she said, then spoke briefly to the servant. "Naul will tell you when you should begin to dress for it. I will come to show you the way."

"Thank you," Chance nodded, getting the door after she walked out. "How much Katian do the four of you speak?" He asked the Caracal servants.

The nervous, almost frightened looks he got answered it well enough.

Jake picked up with several exchanges in Traveran, which Chance caught the gist of it well enough. Between them they knew meat, fruit, food, water, wine, leave, come, get, pleasure me, yes, no.

It wasn't much, but as Asaytae said, they were useful words given their job. Given they'd only had a couple days, it wasn't a bad vocabulary.

"We," Jake motioned to himself and Chance. "Bath," he pointed to the room where they could smell water vapor coming from. "Now," he motioned to Chance to follow him.

The two foreigner toms went into the baths, followed closely by their nervous servants.

"Any way we can let them know we're not going to hurt them without putting ourselves in their place?" Chance asked Jake quietly.

Jake thought about it as he began to strip, then nodded and turned to their servants, who were trying to help undress the pair, who weren't really sure about the help. He said a few short words, was asked something and responded, and the four nodded. Ethus, Hlan and Naul left the bathing room, while the pet, Nomoen, turned his attention to seeing that the rest of the bathing needs were in order; soap, towels, brushes.

"They'll be nervous, just because they understand so few words, but I think I explained our expectations well enough," Jake said, leaving his flight suit on the floor and stepping into the large pool of steaming, swirling water that smelled lightly of flowers and sweet spring grass.

"That's something," Chance chuckled, following Jake into the pool after he'd stripped down. "What _did_ you tell them we expected?

"I said that we're not used to servants of any kind," Jake said before a low moan of raw pleasure escaped him with the hot water against his skin. "That all we are expecting is that our quarters and clothes are cleaned. It makes them uneasy, it's not what they're used to, but I believe it is understood."

"Don't suppose we can find out if there's anything _they_ expect of us? Wouldn't be surprised if they expected some action while we're here," he explained.

"Nomoen," Jake turned to the pet. "No'sae si nu'vie?"

"No," he shook his head slightly. "Nu si aoe."

"They get to play with each other," Jake explained before sinking fully under the water, only to come up facing his partner. "He's curious about you, though he didn't say it," Jake wrapped his arms around Chance's neck and claimed a hungry kiss. "I'm sure he's heard things about outsiders, that most prefer to top."

"Mmm ... there gonna be trouble if we show him it's true about this one?" Chance purred, kissing Jake back as the water soaked into sore muscles that hadn't had a chance to recover since his stint in the brig.

"I doubt it," Jake shivered as his mate's arms slid around his body, holding him close. "It's a pretty erotic thought, almost the ultimate forbidden pleasure for them. And you have more than enough endurance to keep me happy, and play with them."

"Mmm... well, want to give them a show to start with?" Chance purred, kissing Jake again, reaching down to squeeze his ass. "You can top a time or two too, if y'want."

"Mmm, maybe," Jake moaned and pressed close against the buff tabby, his arousal obvious against Chance's hard body as he rocked his hips, rubbing himself shamelessly against his mate. "If you want."

"We'll see... but for now, I think _you_ need a little attention," Chance grinned, his own cock hard beneath the water as he shifted Jake's hips to press his thick, textured shaft up into his ass.

"Oh _yesss_ ," Jake moaned deeply as he was speared open. "Love what you do to me," he panted, squeezing his body around his mate's and claiming a hungry kiss.

"Mmm ... how much is me... and how much is the water?" Chance teased, kissing him back, shifting to push Jake's back against the tile of the edge so he could thrust better into the lean tom.

Jake moaned, his eyes squeezed shut in pleasure as he hooked his legs around Chance's hips and held on tight. "No fair question," he objected with a gasping groan. "Know I love you."

Chance groaned, thrusting harder as he reached down, clawing Jake's ass lightly.

"Fuck baby... _so_ damn tight...."

"Mmm," Jake claimed a hard kiss. "Not as tight as the virgin ass that wants you. Close," he panted. "Gods, so close."

"Just... a little... more!" Chance roared, coming hard, filling Jake's ass with his come and roaring against as Jake came a moment later, squeezing down around his cock hard while spurting his seed into the water between them.

Chance looked up at Nomoen, watching them with incredibly keen attention, his cock hard, but entirely untouched.

"Care to join us?" He asked, reaching up and motioning for the tom to come to them if he wanted.

The Caracal tom shivered, licking his whiskers before scurrying to the water's edge. He managed to get undressed before he was wet, though he didn't actually touch either of them.

Jake turned his head and they exchanged a few words before Jake claimed a heated kiss. "Fuck him so he'll never forget it."

"If this time doesn't do it, I'll try again," Chance winked, pulling out of Jake with a groan before moving over, running his hands down Nomoen's body and kissing him heatedly.

The short, slender Xanith opened his mouth to the kiss, submissive in a manner very similar to Jake; eager but not forward, his entire body at ease in his arousal.

Chance reached down, stroking his cock as their lips parted.

"Up for using your mouth first?" He asked, hoping Jake could translate if Nomoen couldn't understand him, moving to hike himself up onto the edge of the bath. He shouldn't have worried, Jake clearly wanted to see this and was willing to explain, sure of his words or not.

Chance spread his legs, stroking his still-hard cock as his feet dangled in the water. He reached down to pet Nomoen's head lightly, his wet tail swishing over the floor as the Caracal settled between his kneels and nuzzled the tabby's groin before turning his attention fully to the large golden orbs below his cock.

The tabby groaned as Jake moved up behind the slender Xanith, fondling his ass before sliding his fingers down to start prepping him slowly. He watched Jake nip at the Caracal's scruff and crook of the neck, the way he rubbed against his back and how it turned the tom on. It was very much the kind of elevated response he'd seen in his partner, and it made him wonder just how much of Jake tastes had been formed here.

It was pretty hot, really, to watch his mate show him what turned him on on someone who got off on it just as much.

When Nomoen shifted to swallow his cock, Chance reached down, purring deeply as he rubbed the tom's head.

"How's he doing?" He asked Jake with a groan.

"If he's done this before, it was a long time ago," Jake murmured, nuzzling the Caracal's neck and rubbing his own cock against Nomoen's thigh. "He'll take a bit, and more lube than I like."

"We've got plenty," Chance pointed out, passing a small jar down to Jake. "Think he'd like being in the middle?" He asked with a grin.

Jake purred and grinned back before asking Nomoen, who shivered and nodded as best he could with the tabby's thick cock in his mouth.

"I think that's a yes," Jake chuckled and scooped some lube in his fingers before going back to stretching the Caracal's ass.

"Best bath in ages," Chance groaned, thrusting lightly into the tom's mouth. "Not much longer," he warned him.

"No argument from me, though I still think the ones where I get you off by just your balls are pretty damn hot too," Jake rumbled eagerly. "Come away, buddy. He's almost ready to pop himself."

Chance roared, pumping thick ropes of his come into Nomoen's mouth to be swallowed by the Caracal's skilled mouth and throat. Every bit was swallowed, then Nomoen went to work licking him clean before Jake's efforts made his eyes start to roll back and his body tremble.

The tabby slipped under the water, gripping the tom's cock and stroking it a couple times, sure that was all the more it would take to get him off. It quickly became a Caracal sandwich with Jake pressed against his back, stretching his ass and working his prostate, and Chance pressed against his chest and stroking his cock until Nomoen cried out sharply and thrust his hips forward. His seed spilled into the warm water and was quickly swept away.

"He's sexy when he's getting off," Jake purred deeply.

"Oh yeah," Chance purred, kissing Nomoen, then Jake. "So, think he's ready for us to switch places?"

Jake whispered something in the Caracal's ear and he nodded with an eager shiver.

"He's quite ready," Jake purred as he withdrew his fingers and moved around so he could brace against the edge of the pool.

"Good," Chance grinned, kissing the Caracal's neck lightly before letting him go to mount Jake, moving around behind him and nipping his scruff lightly. He watched as Nomoen grabbed Jake's scruff firmly in his jaws, his hips in his hands, and thrust into the lean tom's ass with a simple thrust.

"Oh yeah," Jake moaned. "Fuck him, Chance. Fuck us both."

Chance took Nomoen's ass in his hands, biting down on his scruff possessively as he pushed up into the Xanith tom's ass, groaning at how tight he was; it had been ages since he'd been with somebody this new to bottoming. Even Jake, that first time, had been more experienced, even if he hadn't done it for months.

He could feel Nomoen reflexively pull away a little as he was forced open wider than he'd ever been before, but Jake had done a good job of stretching him and it only lasted a moment before the Caracal began to moan and get into the rhythm of being between the lovers.

"Let me know if it's too much," he reassured him, taking his hips in his hands and starting to thrust slowly. It was hot, hearing Jake moan like this and being inside such a tight body. He'd never known a virgin to be this eager, this willing; they were usually at least a little nervous. Not the case here. He was sure there'd been some pain, there always was the first few times, but there was no reluctance in Nomoen and soon the Caracal was moaning around the thick mouthful of Jake's scruff.

Chance picked up his pace, searching for the Caracal's prostate as he reached down to fondle his balls lightly, carefully working them with his fingers as he drank in the pleasure of the tom between them, and how Nomoen was feeling a familiar pleasure along with one entirely new to him.

It didn't take long for Jake to stiffen significantly, right on the edge and trying to hold back until the Caracal fucking him spilled his seed. His short, whimpering cries encouraged Nomoen to thrust deeper and harder, and excited Chance from knowing what followed soon after he began to sound like that.

Chance roared as he came, filling the Caracal's ass, not really caring to hold back too long - he was sure there would be more rounds to follow when he could drag things out. After all, they had a party to attend for dinner.

He felt Nomoen tighten up around him as need took over, causing his hips to jerk sharply to shoot his seed deep into Jake's ass. A heartbeat later Jake roared his orgasm and drew a gasp and mewing cry out of Nomoen as Jake's body clamped down around his.

Chance purred deeply, nuzzling the Caracal's neck as they all rode down from their highs.

"I think he liked it," he said with a teasing rumble for Jake.

"I know I did," Jake chuckled. "You do make threesomes hot as hell."

"I try," Chance chuckled lowly. "Mmm... unfortunately, we have to get ready for dinner... want to ask if he'd _like_ to share the bed with us when we get back?"

Jake nodded as they reluctantly pulled apart and shared a few words with Nomoen, who's expression shifted from post-coitus dreamy, to surprised, to a blush and eager nod.

"Even I understood that," the tabby chuckled before he turned his attention to actually cleaning up. 

* * *

Jake and Chance had just finished dressing in the fine flowing silks with threads of silver and gold woven into geometric patters and predatory birds. Even though they were pants, it felt rather girly to both of them, but it was what the nobles wore, so it made sense of a sort.

They were still working on getting used to the idea when there was a scratch at the door and Naul rushed to open it and admit Asaytae.

"You both look very fine," she said with honest appreciation in her tone. "Are you ready for the feast?"

"Thank you," Chance smiled. "I believe we are; is there anything else we should bring with us?"

"If you wish to wear any marks of rank or ... prizes," she glanced at Jake and made a quick exchange with him. "Medals, it would be appropriate. There is a sash we put them on."

"That would be appreciated," Chance nodded. "We want to make the best impression we can," he smiled, catching Jake's movement from the corner of his eye as the tom dug their dress uniform medals while Ethus brought him two shoulder-to-hip length sashes.

"Of course. Do you have any that would not fit on it?" she asked. "I have seen some uniforms with rope on the shoulder, or special head covering."

"Not ours," he reassured her, going to his seabag and pulling out his assorted medals and emblems, grateful for once that the Commander had seen fit to include his service record from the future - given what he was here for, his assorted awards for marksmanship were going to matter.

"The first should be just over your ... ..." she flattened her ears at tapped her collarbone, where a stylized red dragon was on hers. "Here. It would be a mark of rank and clan. Some indicator of who you answer to and what status you have."

"Rank and Enforcer emblem," Jake suggested, already putting his together.

"Next would be battle marks, what shows who you have fought and how well you did," she continued, watching them organize their impressive collection of colorful ribbons and metal decorations with fascination. "Last are marks of any crafts you have mastered. Weaponsmith or the like."

Chance took her advice gladly, arranging his emblems; his Captain's bars and Enforcer emblem. On the next row were his Sniper Badge and Pilot Wings -- now with four Gold Stars, two Silver Stars and one Bronze Star. The three Valor in Battle medals were next; two he'd picked up against Lothos before becoming a sniper and the one from a MWII trip he hadn't done yet. Assorted badges for battles and performance filled out much of the middle, and the marksmanship and flying awards he'd earned took the display almost down to his navel. He could have tightened it up a fair amount, but it was impossible to ignore just how much of his life could be summed up by what was on display right now.

All things considered, it was a fairly impressive collection, though he didn't want to think about it too much.

Asaytae, on the other hand, but brimming with curiosity, and he expected he'd be explaining every one of them before the night was out.

"Does it look right?" He asked her, glancing at Jake's smaller collection of medals and awards, signs of just how much of Jake's life _hadn't_ been in the military. On the bright side, it would probably help emphasize that he was the one 'in charge,' as it were.

"I understand few of them," she told him. "Yes, it seems right."

"Then let's go," Chance nodded with a last glance at Jake to be sure he was ready. Not that he needed to check, really, but it looked good. Jake looked good in the exotic outfit.

Asaytae nodded and turned to lead them through the halls and towards the sound of lively, foreign music of small drums, flutes, and tambourines.

Chance followed, taking in their surroundings, almost unconsciously picking out the easiest route to open ground if they had to use it. He didn't think it was going to be necessary - if they wanted to try anything, they'd had the chance by now - but he still felt better knowing there was a way out.

He could see Jake was doing it, and couldn't blame him in the least. He still had a hard time believing Jake had come this far. If he'd been through half of what he _knew_ Jake had here he'd never voluntarily go there again. It gave him a little pride, knowing he was part of the reason Jake was facing his fears.

It wasn't long before they were in the center of the palace by his estimation, and on the third level. It was a huge, open and lush with plants and flowing water around the edges. Three long, low tables were set parallel to each other along the length of the great hall and had folks seated on cushions on both sides. A fourth was perpendicular to them and only had seating on one side.

Many seats were filled with lively talking Caracal fems in dress similar to theirs and a variety of decorations on their sashes, and a variety of feathered and jeweled crowns, tiaras and other headgear.

Chance had no doubt that the Caracal fem in the center of the top table was the Queen. It wasn't just her bearing, her special placement or that her finery far outstripped those around her, though they all definitely played a part. He shot a glance at Jake and smiled reassuringly when he saw the ready-to-bolt look in his eyes, though he was doing an admirable job of keeping himself from showing it in his body language so far.

There was no doubt though. This situation terrified Jake to his core.

He tried to memorize as many faces as he could as Asaytae guided them to the table with the Queen at its center. He ran over in his mind what Jake had coached him on for greeting her again and again. This was _not_ something to screw up.

"Greetings warriors," the Queen spoke in very carefully in Katian when they were brought before her. "Eat at my table," she motioned to her right side and the empty space set for three.

Chance could see Jake bow deeply to her, an odd turn in the arm across his chest that wasn't in the lessons that seemed to draw attention from all who saw it. Then he had to focus on his own bow and the foreign words he didn't understand, for all Jake had told him what he was saying. He just hoped he did as well in Traveran as the Queen had done in Katian.

They followed Asaytae to the open places, and sat with her towards the Queen, Jake in the middle and Chance took the outside place.

"You did very well," Asaytae told him as they settled. She did it naturally, it was probably what she had done her entire life. 

Jake seemed to have an easy time of it, but he had spent six months working for somebody who could afford one of his custom jobs. Chance, he tried, but he was obviously used to a chair, not a pillow.

Hopefully, they expected that sort of thing from foreigners, or at least wouldn't think too badly of him because of it.

"Thank you," Chance said with a quiet nod, not expressing his curiosity about Jake just yet. He had a feeling that the gesture had something to do with his history in the country, but now wasn't the time. Now was the time to pay attention to their hosts.

Everyone was chatting, with many glances at him and Jake, when Asaytae caught his attention. "How good a shot are you?"

"My record is making a headshot on a Wolf at just over a mile and a half; 2,559 yards," Chance explained. "That was with a specially designed sniper rifle and scope, from heavy woods into open terrain, no magic; I doubt I'd be able to make the shot with current conditions. The rifle I was using at the time was well beyond most weapons MKC has available, and I'm not sure what's available here."

He didn't miss how impressed Jake was, though he was sure his partner knew of it. The effect on the others when it was translated was marked; they were definitely impressed, and more than a little unsettled. He had to wonder what they thought was a 'good range' for a kill, and he bet it was a hell of a lot less. He half expected their range weapon was still a bow, or maybe a crossbow. There didn't seem to be any industrialization here.

"You ... can kill beyond sight?" Asaytae said carefully, trying not to sound as shocked as she looked.

"Beyond unaided sight, yes," he nodded. "We have scopes available that increase the distance you can see greatly. The biggest problem is accounting for the effects on the bullet by the time it reaches the target, from wind and gravity."

"At that range with any kind of crosswind, you may have to aim twenty meters or more off the target to hit," Jake added.

"The shot I made was 25 meters to the right and 103 meters above him to hit," Chance told them.

"How can you _aim_ like that?" Asaytae asked, her eyes a bit wide and expression telling him all he needed to know about the range of what they were used to. They aimed at what they wanted to hit.

"It takes a lot of practice," Chance admitted. "And a good feel for what will happen. The good news is that the ranges your people are likely to be shooting at won't involve nearly that level of correction ... and there are magical ways around it, if you have people who can use spells to keep the bullet flying true."

"Yes, we have those," she nodded, translating the exchange for those around her and a second wave of shock spread through the room. "Why do you fly the haweet, when you can kill at that range?"

"Personally, or in general?" He asked her, not sure where she was trying to guide the conversation.

"You, personal," she said, then shifted to Jake and said a few things in Traveran.

"She's trying to understand why someone who can shoot that well would be doing something different," he explained.

"It's a complicated story, but after I ended my service I went into another career. When I went back into the military, I'd found that I preferred flying to being a sniper. There's a level of detachment from the end result that makes it easier to handle, and a pilot isn't usually called on to do the sort of things a sniper is."

"He doesn't usually do the shooting," Jake added, though there were some funny looks to Chance's statement that didn't materialize into questions. "That's my job."

"How good are you?" Asaytae turned to attention to Jake.

It made him pause, trying to organize an explanation. It wasn't nearly as simple as a sniper's. "I have a ninety-three percent hit ratio against aircraft comparable to my own," he said. "On a target range, like we'll use to train, I have a perfect score out to 1500 yards."

"Score?" she glanced at him.

"I can hit a target the size of my palm at 1500 yards every time," he explained.

"It's the limit of the target range," Chance explained. "He hasn't had to shoot like that on the field very often."

"You will teach us to shoot that well?" she asked what was no doubt on everyone's mind.

"To the extent that your technology makes possible," he nodded, wishing dearly that he knew whether or not their coming from the future was an acceptable piece to tell them or not. "We will teach you the best we can."

That was given nods of acceptance before the Queen said something.

"The Queen wishes to know if you will demonstrate your skill for us tonight."

"Certainly," Chance nodded. "I assume you have a target that could be set up at a suitable range?" He was silently praying they didn't want to use a slave, but he wasn't about to say it.

The Queen glided her thumb across the fingers of her hand and created a stable globe of red light the size of her hand.

"Will that do?" Asaytae asked him.

"Will it stop a bullet that hits it?" Chance asked her. "I wouldn't want the bullet to end up in some civilian."

"A mile and a half out, there is nothing," Asaytae motioned towards the desert. "It can be made to shatter what hits it."

"I can't be certain to make a shot that far out with a rifle I'm unfamiliar with, but I'll do my best," Chance nodded. "Could I see an example?"

"You'd have your best odds with mine," Jake offered. "It's in the bomb bay with my tools."

"If you don't mind us taking a little time to retrieve it, that would be best," Chance agreed. "I hadn't known that was loaded when we came here."

"This is acceptable," Asaytae nodded in acceptance and took a hunk of meat from a large roast bird that was brought around, followed by sliced and pealed fruit. "How long did it take to train for that shot?"

"About six months of practical experience," Chance said, taking some of the meat and fruit for himself after noting how Jake handled the offering. "I have a talent for it, but somebody who hunts with a rifle would have a similar advantage. With a bow... it would be a good basis, but the adjustments are very different."

"You will find we are quick studies with any weapon, and everyone has a lifetime of practical experience with a bow," Asaytae assured him. "Few have seen a riffle before. We are ready to understand them."

"Glad to hear it," he nodded. "How many people do you have for us to train?"

"The first group are twenty. All battle-tested warrior-nobles and competition champions with the bow," she told him. "They will train others."

"Very helpful," he nodded. "If I can ask, where did you get the weapons I'll be training them with? There can be particular issues with different models of weapon."

"A shipment from your MegaKat City," she explained. "A ..." she turned to the Queen submissively and exchanged a few words with her. "WAR-5-5 and WSR-50."

"Both good designs," he nodded. "For sniping, you'll want to use the WSR as much as necessary, unless you've got somebody who takes to the WAR spectacularly well. I knew a few good snipers who couldn't do a thing with the sniper rifles; they didn't have the range, but they were still crack shots with other guns."

"What is a sniper?" she asked almost abruptly.

Chance blinked, a little surprised by the question coming. He was sure they'd already known. Well, easy enough to answer the question.

"Somebody who specializes in taking those long shots," he explained. "Precision strikes, rather than broad-based attacks. Most snipers are trained in stealth and surveillance as well as marksmanship; how to stay somewhere until your shot presents itself, and then take it, from a distance the target can't tell where the shot came from."

Jake gave a spat of Traveran, and she nodded.

"This will be unusual," she admitted uncomfortably. "A new kind of fight. The guns seemed just powerful bows."

"And you can use the WAR like that," Chance explained. "Powerful, rapid-firing. The sniper rifle is what you would use for shots like I've taken; the WAR is for much, much shorter ranges, for most shooters. Is the sniper style of combat against your warriors' honor?" He asked her seriously.

"Er, no," she said, thinking about it carefully. "Just not what we usually do. We had not linked sniper with assassin before."

"The main difference is that an assassin isn't usually as picky about targets as a sniper can be," Chance admitted. "I only go after enemy combatants; officers and other high-value targets who know they're potential victims."

Asaytae nodded slowly, digesting the information. "The Kantin will not be surprised then?"

"Not be surprised that you're starting to use snipers? Actually, I suspect they will be," Chance admitted. "Even MKC doesn't use many of us at this point. But then, they were pretty surprised by the Black Sun too," he shrugged slightly.

She nodded and translated the conversation for the other nobles. It set off another buzz of talking, and Chance spotted one of the higher-ranking shekats walk up from the lower tables.

He really, _really_ wished he had any idea what was going on. At the very least, if he'd just said something wrong. She didn't look upset, but it wasn't always easy to read in such a different culture.

She came around behind them and put a hand on Jake's shoulder, making him tense sharply, and whispered something in his ear.

What happened next was so far down on Chance's list of possibilities he would have considered it impossible. His partner launched to his feet in with a twist to face her as he lashed out with his claws. She leapt back, clearing his strike easily, and now they were both standing, face to face, ears flat and growling as the entire room watched in tense silence.

Her tail lashed sharply, his was stiff but up as they sized each other up for a fight.

All Chance was sure of was that she'd just said something that pissed him off enough to fight, and it looked like she was willing to give him that fight.

Chance was up and between them in a moment.

"What just happened?" He demanded of Jake, sure the fem couldn't tell him if she wanted to.

"She wants me to breed her," he said, his rage already slipping away into the tightly controlled terror that Chance had expected at that kind of request.

"Have you told her you can't?" Chance asked him quietly, keeping an eye on the woman, who seemed willing to let him talk with his partner for now.

"No," Jake admitted. "I just ... reacted."

"Let her know what you can, and make your apologies," Chance suggested, not quite an order but as firmly as he dared to. "It's a fight that doesn't need to happen."

Jake didn't look very happy, but he took a deep breath and stepped around his partner to face her.

Chance had to focus on the body language and tone. His partner fighting back reactionary fear mixed with anger, though he kept his tone reasonably level. She went from irritated, to surprised, to a small nod of acceptance before she walked away.

By the time Jake sat back down, he was shaking, and very much in need of the strong wine they had to drink.

"I'm sorry for the disruption," Chance said as he took his own seat, keeping an eye on Jake to make sure he didn't get too drunk. "He's had a bad experience here in the past."

Asaytae made the full translation to the Queen, even as she kept an eye on the lean tom between them. "What happened, with who?"

"That's when things get awkward... are you aware of where we come from, besides MegaKat City?" Chance asked her.

"A different time, dimension or plane?" she guessed. "No, not exactly. You do not feel local though."

"Another time," Chance nodded. "I don't know all the details, but he was katnapped by a Lady Eloen, kept for three weeks as a pleasure slave before he was released. As a result, he can't breed, and he's edgy when dealing with Traveran nobles. Again, I'm sorry for the disruption."

"Pet," Jake corrected without taking his eyes off the goblet of wine he was working on. "I was working for Lady Ayrina, designed her a private plane. There were a few days after I finished before my flight back to MegaKat City. Her agents grabbed me in the market. The next three weeks I know from reports and medical records. I forgot what really happened."

"I know the idea of what happened," Asaytae nodded. "Warriors have never taken it well."

"No," Chance agreed. "We were a little worried that we'd been sent over for something like that at first," the tabby admitted. "We're both glad to see we were wrong, but the Commander was _not_ happy with us when he set this up."

"The Commander is ignorant of our ways, though few nobles know your ways," she said. "No one should ask you again," she told Jake as a servant girl refilled his goblet. "Word will spread quickly. What of you, Chance?"

"As long as it was just breeding, I'd probably be willing," Chance admitted. "I'm interested in fems as well as toms, though I haven't been a sire before."

She nodded and translated to the Queen, sure others heard as well, before turning back to Chance. "You look less like us, but you may well find interest. Are you seeking a way home?"

"Yes," he admitted. "If you're willing, it would probably be most efficient for us if I did the training, and Jake worked on that, but I understand you'd been expecting two trainers."

Asaytae exchanged a few words with the Queen, who seemed a bit surprised, then nodded.

"She allows that if one can do what is needed, Jake can do as he pleases," she said. "And a bit of advice, if you are approached as a sire, or for the night, you can ask a fine price for it. It may help pay for a mage to send you home."

"I'll keep it in mind," Chance nodded. "Thank you for the advice. And I'll be able to handle a group that size easily, especially for the basic parts of it... may I make a suggestion, regarding the strategy to use?"

"Of course," she nodded. "You are the teacher in this. It is your place to say ways to use it."

"I'd suggest that the first warriors study basic marksmanship and how to use the assault rifles. I can go on to teach the top performers to be snipers, and free the rest of them to begin training others much more quickly. There's a large difference in the level of training needed, and you'll do better to have a larger force of warriors with guns faster than you will be with the smaller group of snipers however far down the line."

"We only have three hundred guns, and little expectation of more," she told him. "More has been promised. Not expected to arrive. The less skilled at sniping could train basics to the next three groups to bring three hundred to skill faster."

"I wasn't aware that your supplies were that limited," he nodded. "In that case, you're right; it won't take as long to train that many. Why is it that you don't expect the shipments? If you don't think you'll be able to get them past Lothosian blockades, we can help with that easily enough."

"I have seen them. Such complicated things must take a master many months to create," she said. "That so many are sent was a surprise."

"Ah," Chance nodded, realizing that they thought they were all handcrafted. "That's one of the benefits of how we build things. For one thing, all the parts are identical. We don't need to build each gun one at a time, we can have one group build barrels, another make stocks, another make triggers, and so on. Then they can all be put together interchangeably - that's part of the training, so if your weapon breaks down you can repair it with parts from another damaged one. That makes construction a lot faster, and it gets faster still when you factor in the machines we use to make it easier... they can churn out that many in the course of a couple hours. I was actually surprised to hear that was all they sent."

When that got translated, it sent another wave of conversation around the room.

"If more are sent, we will change how we train," Asaytae told them. "Until then. It is an elite weapon."

"Of course," he nodded. "By the time they get here, we might well have full units ready to take over training more... do you have a similarly limited supply of ammo?" He asked them, wanting to know if he needed to find a way around that.

"A large storeroom of boxes," she told him. "I do not know if that is limited."

"It's enough for training, but not too much more, probably," Chance frowned. "We might have to make a supply run before a serious battle starts."

"We understand," she said. "We will formally request another shipment in their morning."

"If they have problems, I can escort the ship in while Chance continues to train," Jake said, finally beginning to settle down with his second goblet of wine about half finished. "Ammo is plentiful if you know where to look."

"Thank you," she inclined her head to him, the dinner settling back in as they shifted back to small talk and enjoying the food and drink of a different culture. 

* * *

"Let's walk outside and talk," Jake said quietly when dinner was finally over, probably close to the local midnight.

"Sure," Chance nodded, guiding Jake towards the door leading outside. "You could use a little fresh air after all that wine," he chuckled lowly, a little tipsy himself.

"And away from all those shekats," he said with a breath of relief when they walked into the moonlit gardens. "And, umm, thanks for breaking up the fight."

"Hey, she was cute, I didn't want her getting hurt," Chance teased. "Besides... there's probably some pretty strong rules against mangling somebody who asked you for a night out."

"I don't know," he admitted. "They can fight over pretty much anything else, as long as the challenge is accepted. She looked like she'd accepted."

"I was _trying_ to make a joke," Chance pointed out. "Don't worry about it ... it seems like they've all accepted the explanation, including her. Just hope you really weren't interested, and it wasn't just knee-jerk."

"I could be very happy never being around another shekat in my life," he shook his head. "Just so you know, I'm pretty sure at least one of our servants knows Katian fairly well. It only makes sense."

"Any ideas which one, or just guessing they'd want to keep an eye on us? Not that I think you're wrong," Chance pointed out. "Just wondering."

"Mostly I just can't imagine they wouldn't," Jake shook his head. "I expect it's Nomoen, just because he'd be the most likely one to stay close to us for pillow talk, and as the older pet of the Queen's sister, he'd have a lot of spare time and access to education."

"Makes sense," Chance nodded, then cocked his head. "Why would an older pet still be a virgin? Wouldn't the younger ones be expected to service him once in a while?"

"That would promote him to the status of a female," Jake shook his head. "Probably deadly to him, and dangerous to whoever did it for him."

"He's not gonna get in trouble for what happened earlier, is he?" Chance asked, his head pivoting sharply towards Jake as the possibility came to his mind.

"He shouldn't. He did nothing but submit to our perversions, and that is the place of a pet. Just don't speak of it to the females," Jake didn't sound as confident as he wanted to.

"I really, _really_ hope you're right," Chance muttered. "If I'd know that could happen ... yeesh."

"I didn't think of it, honestly," Jake admitted. "Not until it was over with. The rules are a little different in another hundred and some years, and with a new Queen."

"Great," Chance sighed. "Well, I won't say anything about it then... we should ask him, find out what exactly the rules _are_ back now... so, what did you want to talk about?"

"Mostly not to trust anyone," he sighed and leaned against his partner. "There is no way in hell this was a popular move, bringing us here and treating us well. I doubt the weapons are much better received. They're showing a good face, but don't trust it."

"Jake, I've had half a dozen different plans to get us out of here and leave bodies behind as a courtesy gift since we got here," Chance chuckled grimly. "Trust me, I don't want to find out whether or not they actually do agree with that Eloen chick any more than you do. I only made the offer because I wanted to take some of the heat off you."

"Thanks," he shifted up to claim a soft kiss. "I don't like the idea of you being with one of them. Even the nice ones are crazy sadists."

" _If_ I ever did it, it'd be under very strict conditions, and for a trip home," Chance admitted. "But I don't think that's going to happen, so I'm not worrying too much about it. Any of 'em try to force the issue, they'll learn what a tom can do."

"Good," Jake smiled slightly. "'Cause I really don't want to find out what I'll do if a fight starts. It could go wrong so many ways. I don't think the stars have ever been this bright from the ground."

"Mmm... well, there _was_ Little Anakata," Chance mused, wrapping his arms around his partner. "Think we've got a pretty good chance at going home from here."

"Probably," Jake agreed reluctantly. "It's only a question of the price."

"I meant with you working on it while I train," Chance offered. "C'mon, let's head back up - Nomoen's waiting for us," he chuckled.

"Mmm, maybe he'll know a new trick or two for fun with toms," Jake claimed another kiss, enjoying the one that was returned, before they walked back to their quarters. "I guess it could be a lot worse, really."


	16. Training Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first night in Traveris is as eventful as it is unsettling for Chance, but the next day is looking up.

Chance tensed sharply despite being largely still asleep. The part of his brain that kept watch in the field noted that someone was entering by a window to the garden. It was just having a more difficult time that usual dragging the rest of him to consciousness.

He groggily reached under the cushions, grabbing his blaster and raising it, aiming towards the window even before he got his eyes completely open.

"Whoever that is, you'd better have a good excuse," he murmured, turning his head to see who it was - and dropping the blaster when he saw it was Jake. "Kats alive, what are you doing?!?"

"Sorry," Jake murmured. "I just needed to get out for a bit."

"Warn me first, okay?" Chance sighed, closing his eyes tightly. "Krud, I've got a hangover and that on top of it... thought you were somebody sneaking in here for the reasons you'd expect in Traveris!"

"You were out cold," Jake pointed out politely as he stripped down. It was only then that Chance realized he was wearing his flight suit.

"Y'know, if you're doing recon, you really _should_ take me with you," Chance said seriously, cracking an eye open as Jake got in bed and snuggled close to him. "You might get spotted... you can outrun them, but I'm still a better pilot."

"I know," he murmured, kissing him lightly.

It took that long for Chance's brain to work out the odd mix of smells Jake had brought with him. Adrenaline. Rage. Death.

Jake had been up close and personal with a fresh body.

"Shit... Jake... what'd you do?" Chance groaned as he broke the kiss, having images of having to make a fast run out of the country before they got picked up.

"It'd be better if you didn't know," he hedged, visibly unhappy with the statement. "It's nothing that can be tracked to me."

"Jake, when you say it like _that_ , you know I have to ask," Chance sighed. "You're my partner, we have to keep an eye on each other about things like this...."

Jake dropped his face, then settled his head on the tabby's broad chest. "I ... dealt ... with Steele," he said simply.

"You... ah shit," Chance sighed, wrapping his arms around Jake. "You didn't have to do that," he murmured.

"No, I probably didn't," he admitted, snuggling into the embrace. "I can't say I regret it though. Not with what he did."

"Just promise you'll never do it again," Chance murmured softly, kissing Jake's head, rubbing his back. He all but held his breath when an answer didn't come right away. "Buddy?"

"All right," Jake said very reluctantly. "You have my word."

"Sometimes it's worth it, Jake, but... take it from me. Most of the time, it isn't." He kissed Jake again, tenderly. "Meg's told you what I've done. Even knowing what those people did, it wasn't worth it in the end. Steele... yeah, he fucked us over, but it's not like he signed the papers transferring us here. Not like he killed anybody either."

"I know," he sighed, closing his eyes with another gentle kiss. "I just ... I don't always have the morals you do. I'm sorry for that," he murmured. "And that I can't feel sorry for what I did."

"I don't suppose I can expect you to," Chance murmured. "I just hope it doesn't really hurt you, when the time comes that you can."

"Sometimes I think I'm too pragmatic for morals," Jake chuckled weakly. "Family trait. But if I ever find out I'm wrong about that, well, I'll deal. I always do, somehow."

"And I'll be there for you," Chance promised. "We'll have to see what happened, historically, when we get back to the jet... might be in the computer. With any luck, he went AWOL or something."

"That should be what happened," Jake nodded. "I know they won't find the body."

"I don't want to know," Chance decided, rubbing Jake's back. "I don't suppose you were able to pick up any more supplies while you were out, were you?" He half-chuckled.

"Sorry, I was focused on getting in and out and not leaving any evidence," he chuckled just a bit and stretched up to claim a light kiss. "After all, it's not like there's a statute on what I did. Kinda why I was trying to keep you out of it," he added softly. "There's no statute on accessory after the fact either."

"No, but I'd rather know about it now, than not know and find out the hard way some time," Chance told him seriously. "Besides... there might not be a statute in the law, but there is in terms of people caring."

"I guess," he murmured, before claiming another kiss. "You want some water for the hangover, and back to sleep?"

"Probably a good idea; get some for yourself too, okay?" Chance smiled. "Or we could go soak for a bit, if you'd rather."

"You know I'm never going to refuse that," Jake couldn't help but chuckle. "Even when neither of us is up to much more," he slipped out of the thick cushion pile that was the bed and leaned over to kiss Chance's nose. "I do love you."

"And I love you," Chance purred, following Jake out of bed after taking a moment to tuck Nomoen, still fast asleep, in carefully. 

* * *

"Chance, Jake?" Asaytae's now-familiar voice drew their attention from floating in the warm, moving water of their bathing pool. "It would be best to dress soon," she said as she reached the door to the bathroom and stopped there with a relaxed posture. "Naul said you have eaten," she nodded towards the nearly empty tray that had been slowly consumed over the last two hours. "It would be best to show you what we built as a training ground before the sun is too high."

"In just a few moments," Chance agreed, climbing out of the pool and grabbing one of the mildly enchanted towels they'd been given, starting to dry his fur. "We'll be right with you."

"What are the usual training hours?" Jake asked after got out and started to dry off.

"We try to avoid being exposed too much from noon to dusk, but with the shaded places we built, you should be able to work through the day and much of the night," she explained.

"That will be best for them," Chance nodded. "Can I also see the types of clothes they'll be expected to wear in the field?" He asked her. "There could be some changes I'll need to suggest."

"You will want to be careful on how you say that," Asaytae cautioned him. "We have worn the same thing for countless generations. You will see them when you meet the first group you will train."

"I'll be careful," Chance sighed, dressing quickly once he was dried off. He just hoped that whatever it was blended in with the desert. He glanced at Jake, who was just finishing putting on the local warrior tom outfit, and followed Asaytae out to the stables and the horses.

Stable hands helped them mount, and she lead them through the palace grounds, out into the street, past where the Black Sun was parked and into the sandy desert. Over a small sandy rise they could see the shelters she'd mentioned, and the target forms set up beyond them at 100 yards intervals and slightly offset from the one in front of it. Well away from where the worst noise would be was another set of shelters, silk tents, for their horses.

"Are the horses used to loud noises, from dealing with magic?" Chance asked.

"And horns, drums and the screams of battle," she nodded before they brought their mounts to a stop outside the tent nearest the firing line. "There are few years where we have not fought someone."

From here Chance got his first good look at the fifty Caracal shekats he'd be training. Their clothes were simple looking, but covered the body and head in light tan cloth that gave good movement without being too flowing. Not great camouflage, but not bad either. He'd probably be able to talk them into the _minor_ changes that would be necessary to achieve full camo... or, if necessary, to at least convince them to bury themselves under the sand. Unfortunately, he didn't have the sort of training to _really_ benefit them out here; Lothos was a world away from this sort of desert.

"Have you tested them for gunfire? Their riders will probably be firing just a foot or two from their heads, if that," he pointed out.

"Not specifically," she admitted. "They will begin to get used to it here today."

"All right then," he nodded. "Where are the supplies kept?"

"The storehouse is on palace grounds," she explained as they walked up the sandy distance between them and the gathered nobles. "What is needed each day will be brought," she motioned to several boxes on each side of the firing line. "For now, the warriors will return their weapons to the storehouse with any unused bullets."

"Well defended, good to know," Chance nodded. "How many of them speak Katian?"

"I believe that Lady Asuen does," she said, motioning to one of them right of center. "The Queen had me enchant the shooting shade with an understanding spell. They should understand the intent of everything you say, and you should understand the intent of what they say."

"Very good to know," Jake murmured. "You are a mage, then?"

"Yes, Warrior Clawson," she answered politely now that they were within range of the enchantment. "I have learned healing and language, not the kind of magic you are seeking."

"Might want to stick around, just in case," Chance murmured. "Will you be taking part in the training as well?" He asked her more clearly, approaching the line of recruits and picking up one of the sniper rifles from the crates, thinking about how exactly he wanted to handle this as he made sure it was loaded.

"I am not to be trained. I will stay, as you wish," she said rather formally, though he didn't miss the appreciation in her tone at the invitation.

"So who has fired any kind of gun before?" Jake called out to the group.

"No one," Lady Asuen spoke up. "We have all read the instructions that were sent with the weapons."

"Right then," Chance nodded, mentally going back to very basic gun safety. "I want to run over the cardinal rules of training and having a gun. 

"First rule, nobody fires a shot if there's anybody standing ahead of the firing line," he said very firmly, and sensed no resistance to it. He had to remind himself that these were mature, battle experienced professional warriors, not hormone driven teenagers off the street. They didn't know guns, but they knew weapon safety and understood death. It would make his life much easier.

"Second rule - if you step ahead of the firing line, realize that you could be shot. Make sure that nobody's anywhere close to firing before you do." Chance continued, taking a moment to inspect the sniper rifle he'd picked up, adjusting the sight slightly. 

"Third, never point a loaded gun at anything you don't plan to destroy, and fourth, assume any gun _you_ haven't emptied and taken the last bullet out of yourself is loaded. You have to draw a bow, but a gun can go off without that sort of preparation. Can you all see the cactus out past the far marker?" He asked them.

"Yes, warrior," Lady Asuen nodded to him as everyone, including Jake, paid close attention to him and his target.

While he tried to look casual, and this was not a particularly difficult shot for him at a thousand yards, there was no missing his focus as he brought the weapon up and sighted in on the cactus. A deep breath was let out and the tabby sank fully into the world where only his breath, the trigger and the target existed.

Slowly he closed his finger against the trigger, pulling it smoothly inward. In the pause between one breath and the next he pulled the trigger fully and watched through the scope as the top half of the cactus exploded.

As he focused back on the world around him, his first realization was the way Jake was purring and looking at him. He had no doubt that if they weren't in front of such a crowd, the lean tom would have jumped him right then and there. That tom and his kinks were an odd combination on his mellow days.

The class was very clearly impressed. He bet none of them had a clue how deadly a bullet was. He and Jake had grown up with them on the TV, in movies, in everyday culture even if they didn't use them much. These folks ... anything past a crossbow was definitely a culture shock.

In the distance he heard horses objecting, whinnies of fear and stomping. To their credit, it quieted very soon, and it was only a handful of the three score of mounts present. They definitely were battle-trained to accept nearly anything quickly. They'd probably be completely desensitized within the week.

"That's what a headshot looks like," he said, lowering the rifle. "Everybody, raise the rifle like you were going to fire it. Don't touch the trigger, I'm just going to show you where the safety is right now."

The group nodded, and he was pleased that each and every one turned and found a place on the firing line where they were not close to facing anyone before they raised their riffles in an attempted mimic of his actions.

"Now, lift your thumbs; you should feel a small switch along the right side of the rifle," he explained. "That's the safety. It's supposed to keep the weapon from firing accidentally. Don't rely on it to stop a shot from going off, but always make sure it's off if you're actually going to try and take a shot. Can you all feel it? Flip it up to turn it off."

He watched as they did so, walking down the line to correct posture and check that they all had it right while Jake began checking from the other side. They met in the middle, nodded that everyone had it right, and returned to their respective ends of the line.

For Chance, it was a good insight into the caliber of warrior he was working with. Mostly his age or older, well-experienced in war and even with a completely alien weapon in their hands, they were at ease and taking the training seriously. It wasn't anything like training allied villagers Lothos, much less Enforcer recruit training during the war.

"Now, you'll want to brace the stock against your shoulder," he continued, watching as they adjusted the position of their weapons and walking the line again to make sure they were in the right place while Jake did the same from the other side. "When you fire, there's a strong recoil. If you're not careful, you can actually break your shoulder with it, but you're less likely to do that if it's well braced."

"Now, you sight in your target using the two protrusions on top of the gun. When you only see one of them between your eye and the target, you should be on a straight-line path to it. At these ranges, that's all you'll need, though as we progress I'll start teaching you how to shoot at longer distances. It's much like shooting with a bow, just at a much, much longer distance before you have to raise your sights. Today, I want you to aim for the nearest target on the main body, not the head."

"Yes, warrior," a mixture of their voices responded as they held the pose, waiting for the two toms to check and correct if need be.

After a few small adjustments so they were all in the best place, he conferred with Jake and the two of them decided they were ready.

"Good," Chance nodded. "Take aim and fire one shot when you are ready."

Shots rang out as they all picked their marks and fired, usually with exclamations of surprise or pain as the rifles recoiled back into their shoulders with more force than expected. He could already see that most of them hit what they were aiming at, and most of those shots were close to the bull's-eye. The only surprise was one of the warriors a few people down from Chance was knocked back a step as her rifle fired off a five-round burst of shots.

Chance swore mentally and moved forward to help her, grateful beyond words that she had taken his warning to heart and kept a firm hold on the weapon to keep it pointed downrange. He put a hand against her back, supporting her a bit and putting her back in the right position, even as a second burst went off before she got her finger off the trigger. Her tail was a bit fluffed, and the entire class was watching, but she was apparently still in control.

"That was one of the settings," he explained to her, and to the class even as he kept an eye to make sure everyone kept their weapon pointed downrange. "Semi-auto or burst. This weapon is designed to do that, and it is very effective in a mass battle. Feel the switch on the other side from the safety? When you push it all the way down, you are in automatic, or full-auto. It will fire for as long as there are bullets and you hold the trigger back. The center position is burst mode, where it fires five rounds, like it did here. We will be using single shot mode, where you push the switch all the way up. 

"You handled that very well," he praised her. He'd seen more than one case where a gun like that had gone much, much further astray; a quick glance out told him she'd thoroughly killed the target, but no worse.

"Thank you, warrior," she said as her tail began to settle.

"That's one of the major differences between the assault rifle and the sniper rifle," he explained to them all. "The sniper rifle only fires a single shot and has to be reloaded manually after each round. It is called a bolt-action riffle. The assault rifle holds twenty rounds in the clips you all have mounted, but you can chew through the ammunition very quickly in full-automatic mode. It's also very inaccurate that way, which is one of the reasons we're starting with single-shot. Does anybody have any questions yet?"

"Is there a way to make these more quiet?" one of them asked, visibly distressed by the noise.

"In single shot, yes, but it costs you some accuracy and is only really useful when you're trying to shoot somebody without being noticed. I imagine that there are mages who could probably find a way to deaden the noise, if you wanted," he offered, looking to Asaytae for confirmation.

"Yes," she nodded. "A very small size silence enchantment would work."

"Which will be up to you if you want to go with it or not," Chance nodded. "If you're worried about the targets hearing it, at the ranges I'll be teaching you to shoot the bullet will be there well before the sound of the shot can warn them, but too much gunfire at close ranges can cause hearing problems over a long period of time. So, what do you think of the new weapons?"

He knew just from looking that quite a few were far from convinced of the value of them.

"I like it," one of the younger shekats, the same one that had fired the burst, spoke up after a moment to give her seniors a chance to speak. "It feels ... right," she struggled to explain.

"Does anybody want to try using it at a longer range for a little bit before we move back to the basics?" He offered, making a mental note to find out what sort of armor was used locally. He'd have to have an armored target he could demonstrate a rifle's real effectiveness against, to convince the older ones it could out-perform the bow with more than extreme range.

"I would," she said after a moment to gage if that was a wise thing to say.

"You teach basics, I'll work with her?" Jake suggested quietly.

"Sure thing," Chance nodded. "If you have any trouble, or want to switch to the WSR, give me a shout."

"I will," he promised, letting Chance gather the others for basics.

"What is your name?" Jake asked the shekat. "Put the safety on," he added and motioned her to walk to the far end of the firing line with him.

"I am Lady Eantila, Warrior Clawson," she said. "Why do you have four names?" she asked politely.

"Four?" he quirked an eyebrow up.

"Captain Jake Rave Clawson," she said, now a bit uncertain. "It is what we were told as your full name."

"Captain isn't part of my name, it's my rank. Like Lady is for you. Jake is my given name, a first name. Raven is my call name, a nickname of sorts that pilots and gunners receive from the others in their group. Clawson is my family name. All my kin through my mother have the same family name. It is much more complicated than you have need for."

"Yes, it is," she nodded even as she turned to face the targets. "Is it true, that Lady Eloen cut you?"

"Yes," he stiffened slightly at the change of subject.

"She made a mistake," Eantila said simply. 

* * *

"So is it my imagination, or do you not hate that girl you trained today?" Chance teased his mate as they walked towards their quarters after dinner, both of them lightly buzzed, but not nearly as drunk as the previous night.

"Her name's Eantila, and you aren't mistaken," Jake admitted with a chuckle as his tail batted the tabby's rump. "She's not nearly as creepy as most of'm."

"Think you're gonna see her again? Off the field, I mean," Chance clarified. "Or gonna try and avoid that sort of complication?"

"'Not creepy' is a long shot from 'I like her,'" Jake couldn't help but laugh. "Though if you're feeling the need for some pussy, she's probably not a bad choice."

"I'll keep it in mind, but I think she was more interested in you," Chance winked. "Besides, I've got a few other things I like to keep me busy," he grinned, slipping back into their quarters. "The sad part? So far, I actually prefer here to back in MKC."

"They like their males small and lightly built," Jake shrugged even as he twisted on one foot to press the bigger tom against the wall and claim a hungry, heated kiss. " _I_ was more than a little impressed by you though."

"I noticed that," Chance purred, kissing Jake back. "Mmm ... don't see too many people take that well to a target shooting show," he teased with a grin.

"Shows of extreme skill do that to me," he rumbled hotly just remembering it. "I'd love to see what you can do against a moving target."

"It's a little rough on the target," Chance purred, kissing Jake hotly, plundering his mouth. "Unless you have one of those balls the Queen magicked up the other night."

"No, but I think I can work something up," he shivered, all but melting in his mate's arms. "Or we can take Blackie up for a hard flight."

"I'd ask if you want to combine them, but I think you'd jump me in the cockpit," Chance smirked. "Why don't you see what you can rig up then... or I can just fuck your ass right here and now," he purred. He knew the answer before Jake said anything. It was time to dom him hard, fuck him until he whimpered and then keep going.

"Take me hard," Jake moaned.

"Get down and suck my cock," Chance rumbled, pushing Jake to his knees. The cinnamon tom wasn't in these moods very often, but when he was, Chance knew better than to waste them.

A deep rurr of excitement greeted the order and Jake took a moment to nuzzle the tabby's groin before pulling his flowing pants down enough to expose the tabby's balls and the tip of his cock peaking out of his sheath. Without a thought he took one of the heavy golden orbs in his mouth, encouraging Chance to hardness.

"Oh yeah... that's a good kitty," Chance purred, reaching down to rub Jake's ears. "You like how that tastes?"

Jake let the orb slide from his mouth. "You know I do," he rumbled, his scent heavily aroused as he turned his tongue on Chance's sheath, arousing him fully before deep throating him in a single motion.

" _Fuck_ yeah," Chance groaned. "Mmm... damn, you're a good little cocksucker," he rumbled, talking dirtier than he did with most of his lovers. It had been an odd night when he'd picked up most of what his mate really wanted when he got like this, but it was fun too. "You've got a hungry ass tonight, don't you?"

Jake rumbled deeply, his throat vibrating around the tabby's cock in reply. It was as good as any word between them.

With his breath quickening, Chance reached forward to brace himself against the wall with one arm while his free hand shifted to grip the back of Jake's head. When he felt the lean tom relax, he went from encouraging the blowjob to fucking his partner's face. He knew what it would look like to anyone else, but the feel of the tom under his hand and around his cock was more than enough for Chance to know his partner was getting off on this nearly as much as he did.

The tabby roared, pumping his come down Jake's hungry gullet before he pulled back, wiping himself off on his mate's cheek.

"Still hungry for more appetizers, or time for the main course?" Chance purred throatily, his cock still hard against Jake's face.

"Fuck me," Jake breathed quickly, his own cock hard in his pants.

"Then get over to the bed," Chance rumbled with mock menace, tossing Jake towards the pile of large cushions and making the tom stumble to his knees. Chance was on top of him in a flash, pulling his own soft cord belt off before they wrestled briefly in a mock effort to assert control.

It was only a moment before Chance had his partner's arms bound together and behind him and had shoved the lean tom's chest against the cushions while his ass was in the air. Despite the growls and ineffective struggles, Jake's tail was high against his back and his legs spread quite voluntarily.

Chance pulled of Jake's belt, yanking his pants down to expose his ass before he kicked off his own, gripping Jake's ass possessively.

"You'd better stay quiet," he mock-growled, before sinking his rigid cock deep into Jake's ass with a single practiced thrust.

The lean tom moaned deeply and squeezed his body down around his lover. It wasn't long before they were in a familiar rhythm and Jake's voice became noticeably louder with each thrust in a combination of purr, growl and cries.

"Told you," Chance grunted, "to stay quiet!" He wrapped Jake's belt around his throat, drawing it tight enough that Jake could breathe through it yet, but just barely. He felt the shudder pass through Jake's body, the tension of realizing that his life was honestly in the hands of another and there wasn't much he could do about it.

"You love this, you little slut," Chance rumbled, grunting again as his balls pulled up tight.

He tightened the belt further, cutting off Jake's air entirely as he came hard, keeping alert for any sign that he was going too far. As surprised as he was, Jake's tail remained against his spine and his legs, while tense, didn't try to move him away.

"You are really in a mood tonight," the tabby rumbled and let up, allowing a deep gasp of air to flood into Jake's lungs. "You _are_ allowed to say 'no' to me here, remember?" Chance purred, nipping Jake's scruff and reaching down to stroke his rock-hard cock, hoping to get them both off together.

"I know," Jake dragged another deep breath in with a moan, his body trembling as he arched against the tabby's chest. "Ohhh," another deep moan escaped before he grunted and thrust into Chance's hand hard, spilling his seed onto the cushions below them.

The tightening convulsions of Jake's body pushed the tabby over the edge, and he roared as he filled Jake's ass with his come for the second time in as many minutes.

"Damn you're hot when you get kinky," he murmured as he sank forward, easily ready Jake's subtle body language that the tom had had enough for a while.

"Because you do it so well," Jake turned his head as the cord slipped from his neck and nuzzled his mate.

"Mmm ... thank you," Chance purred, kissing Jake with a tenderness completely at odds with their earlier play. "You've made it worth learning to do," he winked and loosened Jake's arms so they could snuggle as equals.


	17. Gentle Traveris

Five days into training, and Chance was privately grateful for many things. His trainees were professional, that they were respectful, that he'd worked out how much to drink with dinner to avoid a hanger, that he was somewhere that he and Jake could be openly affectionate, that Jake wasn't terrorized by these people. Especially that Jake wasn't terrorized.

It was three hours after dark and he finally dismissed them for the day with the promise that they would be on the firing line the next morning. As usual, the locals cleared out quickly, but as he was picking up the last of his teaching aids to put back in the warehouse he heard one of them walk up to him and stop outside of strike range, the polite distance in this close-combat society.

"Something I can help you with?" He asked before turning to see who it was.

"Are you and your lover open to a third warrior in bed?" Lady Eantila asked politely.

"I'd have to ask him, but I am," Chance said cautiously, looking his star student over more carefully. "A friend of yours, or you?" He asked her.

"Myself," she said easily. "I know what was done to him. We are not all like that."

"I know," he nodded. "Did you have any particular night in mind? I'll ask him, but I can't make any promises."

"I understand," Lady Eantila inclined her head slightly. "Only a night where he can be relaxed. I leave it to you when that would be."

"I'll let you know," Chance smiled. "How do you feel about mixing water with play? It's probably the easiest way to get him relaxed."

"I find it quite enjoyable," she smiled warmly at the thought. "It is quite a luxury to be able to indulge in. It may be easier if he is only asked to be there, to watch, unless he desires more?"

"It might be, but I'm not sure if that would be what you're interested in," he chuckled lowly. "How much are you interested in him, as opposed to both of us?"

"I am interested in him," Eantila told him honestly. "After what he has been through, I know it will take some proof that I will not hurt him. Having you there, his partner and lover, someone he clearly trusts to protect him, is the easiest way. I am willing to start with him watching, if it makes him more comfortable with the idea of me being there at all."

"Just wanted to make sure I knew where everybody stood," Chance nodded easily. "I'll mention it to him; you're aware that he's from a different time entirely?"

"I have heard that," she nodded. "It does make sense, given your craft. I expect you will return to then. You would leave when the war is won anyway."

"Most likely," he nodded. "No offense, but I wouldn't want to live here."

"Given the luxuries you must be used to as normal, I can not be surprised," Eantila told him. "I will leave you to discuss this with your partner."

"Thank you," he smiled. "I'll let you know once I have an answer from him," he promised before she turned to leave him with his thoughts and wondering what Jake would make of it.

Well, only one way to find out.

He finished packing up, and headed back to the lab where Jake was working on a way to get them home.

"How's it going?" He asked, slipping into Jake's work zone.

"I might as well be helping you train," the lean tom grumbled as he looked up. "It's been nice to have time to do all the repair work and upgrades I can on Black Sun, but there's nothing I can do. It'll be like when we got sent to dinosaur times. We have to wait on a portal."

"No luck figuring out a faster way home, huh?" Chance sighed. "I was kind of hoping you could sort it out this time. Well, while we're waiting... we just had an interesting little development. And not in a bad way, I don't think," he added quickly.

"Oh?" Jake raised and eyebrow and turned around to look at his partner, and didn't bother to hide his arousal.

"Yeah... Eantila, the younger fem who's taking so well to the training? Seems she's interested in you, wants to show that not everybody here is into the sort of things that Eloen chick was. She asked if we'd be interested in a threesome some time, with you just watching if you were more comfortable that way."

"With the eventual aim of me alone, I expect," Jake said a little warily. "Still, it's hard to pass up the idea of watching you bang her," he purred softly.

"So, should I let her know that it's a 'yes' for some night?" Chance chuckled. "She is attractive, and she knows it might not work out with you."

"Why not," he nodded, licking his whiskers back. "It sounds like she knows the deal."

"Want me to try and find her tonight, or in the mood for getting into the action yourself?" Chance purred, knowing that Jake was holding himself back out of politeness at this point.

"If you find her tonight, I _will_ be in the mood after watch you with her," he chuckled lowly and closed to distance for a hungry kiss.

"You are _really_ wound up around here," Chance purred into the kiss, gripping Jake's ass and squeezing it possessively. "I'll look her up... but I think if I don't let you get a round in first, you'll pop before I get the chance to find her," he winked.

"You'll get no argument from me," Jake shivered and rubbed shamelessly against his mate's body, groping the tabby's groin while they kissed. "They do make me hungry for cock like little else."

"Who, Traverans?" Chance chuckled, kissing down to Jake's neck as his shaft stiffened and his mate moaned eagerly. "Suppose that makes sense... so, you want me to fuck you on your work table, or just want a little appetizer before I go find the main course?"

"Mmm, an appetizer," Jake purred, sliding his hands into the tabby's loose, soft cotton pants to fondle him before kneeling and pulling his pants down to nuzzle Chance's balls. "Do you want to try and go back to denying this when we get home?"

"We'll probably be lynched if we don't," Chance groaned as the tip of his cock emerged.

"I meant in our time," Jake teased him before taking one of his balls into his mouth to lavish it with attention.

"Mmmm ... have to think about it," Chance rumbled, fondling Jake's ears lightly. "Don't wanna fuck things up in our time the way we did back here...."

"Mmm, no we don't," Jake agreed, licking and nuzzling his balls until he was hard and panting, leaning against the wall behind him for a bit of support. "You have any idea how sexy you are like this?" he rumbled before slowly sliding Chance's cock into his mouth and down his throat.

"Almost as sexy as you are," Chance grinned, thrusting lightly into Jake's mouth. "Mmm.... fuck you're good...."

A low, deep vibration sent a shock of pleasure through his cock and right to his balls and spine as Jake grinned and began to bob slowly up and down, taking his time with the final bit of pushing his partner over the edge and enjoying every moment of it. As Chance came, filling Jake's mouth, he held his head in place, moaning lowly as his tail twitched behind him.

"Damn," he sighed. "Love your mouth... if she does come, we have to be careful about what happens between us?"

"Probably not," Jake licked his mouth clean as he stood and tucked his mate back into his pants with a kiss. "She knows we're outsiders, and from her perspective, my taste for taking and your for giving should make perfect sense."

"Good to know," Chance purred, kissing Jake and licking his lips. "Just wanna know if a Jake sandwich can be on the menu," he winked. "I'll go see if she's occupied tonight, you relax in our bath. Either way, we'll have fun," he promised. "Tomorrow we'll see how well they shoot."

"I'll be ready," Jake promised as they parted, Jake to their quarters and Chance to track down Eantila.

Chance started down the corridors of the Palace, trying to remember the way to the room he'd been told to go to if she didn't show for training. Fortunately, it wasn't too far from their own, and he scratched lightly at the door for admittance.

A curious male face made a quick appearance, then he opened the door fully.

Lady Eantila smiled up from where another tom, likely only in his mid-teens, and a female just reaching full maturity, were grooming her nude form.

"Jake ... agree?" she asked in halting Katian.

"Yes," Chance nodded. "Watch first," he said, trying to keep his words as simple as he could, not trusting his halting Traveran yet. At least she inclined to take it the right way.

"Good," Eantila stood smoothly and accepted a robe from one of her servants before leaving with the tabby. "What does Jake like?"

"It depends, really," Chance admitted. "Mostly toms... sometimes he likes to be the submissive, he doesn't usually like topping, but I'm not sure how much of that is what happened before."

She took a while to work through all that before she nodded. "With females?"

"The one time I know much about, it was with a good friend," Chance admitted. "Not too much in the way of unusual things involved there. But he has been with fems before, willingly. Just one thing _I_ want to ask; he's prone to freezing up with Caracal fems, and he _really_ doesn't always remember to say no when he wants to, so if I say no for him, accept it. I can tell when he's panicking and too freaked out to turn somebody down, instead of actually being willing."

"Chance say no for Jake?" she asked awkwardly as they reached his quarters to make sure she understood.

"Sometimes," he nodded. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to pick up Traveran, but it's slow going," he admitted. "You're doing much better with Katian. Jake will probably be in the bath right now."

"It is good training places magicked," she said and followed him inside. "Understand much better there."

"Oh yeah," Chance agreed easily, heading back to the bathing area where Jake was lounging in the water. "I brought company," he grinned.

"So I see," Jake looked at Eantila, looking her over with a sexual eye, but most of his appreciation was solidly on his mate. "How much translating will I need to do?" he rumbled as the tabby stripped down.

"For what we've got in mind?" Chance smirked. "I think I've managed to get my points across so far, right?" He asked Eantila, purring as she slipped her robe off, allowing himself to look her over purely for her attractive Xanith body this time, the lean muscle shifting beneath her short, tawny fur.

"Yes," she purred in return as she slipped into the water with him and walked up to the large tom. "Very exotic," she rumbled, running her hands up his chest.

"Thank you... though you'd be the exotic one back home," he pointed out, running his hands up her sides, from her shapely hips to her breasts, running his thumbs over her nipples lightly and felt her purr in approval. It was his turn to moan when her long, slender fingers cupped his balls and slid up along his hardening cock.

Chance kissed her neck, purring as he reached down beneath the water to finger her sex.

"What do _you_ like?" He asked her, licking the nape of her neck lightly.

"Simple," she rumbled, her long, thick tail, so different from the shekats they were used too, waving in the warm water. "This," she closed her hand around his cock, "where fingers are."

"Then let's satisfy you," he rumbled, pushing her back against the edge of the pool and quickly moving to sink his cock into her pussy with a hungry groan. He had to figure out some way to blend shekats and toms; too much of one or the other got a little tired eventually. He just couldn't help but be grateful that Jake wasn't the jealous type. That he seemed to like watching, and sometimes participating, was a huge plus.

She moaned deeply and closed her jaw around the crook of his neck. Her legs wrapped around his hips and her body rippled around his.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the Jake was watching intently and stroking himself slowly, clearly enjoying the show.

Chance kissed the Caracal, fondling her breasts as he started to thrust, his textured shaft sliding in and out of her body as his fingers worked her hard nipples, her fur dripping in places when it rose above the level of the water.

"He's enjoying the show," he purred into her mouth.

"Good," Eantila moaned, gripping his shoulders tightly as they road wave after wave of pleasure together. "You're good."

"Thanks," he groaned. "You are too," he rumbled, nipping her neck lightly, testing her response to it as he ran a hand around her back and down to squeeze her shapely ass. She was very different from most shekats he knew. His height and all muscle and sinew with small breasts, narrow hips and a nearly feral head, she was extremely masculine by his eye, yet she was feminine in all the ways that mattered.

A part of his brain observed that he'd be in a shitload of trouble for this back home, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. Not like he could get in much _more_ trouble, and if it endeared him to the locals, he could do worse with his evenings. That it might very well help Jake like girls more was just icing on the cake.

"Hot," Jake rumbled, his pace picking up along with Chance's.

"Care to... nnngh... join us?" Chance asked him, his balls twitching, aching to empty themselves into Eantila's body.

Jake licked his whiskers and walked over through the elbow-deep water to rub against the tabby's broad back. He slid a hand between the firm globs of his ass before teasing his anus with a finger in a silent question.

"Just go slow," Chance groaned, turning to kiss Jake lightly, before turning back to kiss Eantila, pressing his tongue against her lips as he raised his tail up and out of the way.

He felt Jake nod against his shoulder, and the kisses along his back as a finger pressed into his body with all the care Jake normally gave him. He'd probably be on his third round before there was a cock in his ass.

Chance groaned all the same, his balls pulling up tightly against his body as he came inside Eantila's body, his ass squeezing down around Jake's finger as she came with him, her cries drawing an excited sound from Jake as well.

"More?" the tabby grinned at her when she caught her breath.

"As much as you can give," she shivered in excitement, turned on very much that Jake was getting involved, even if it was only with Chance at this point.

"As much as you can take, babe," he rumbled hotly, groaning as Jake teased his prostate lightly, starting to thrust again. "Nnngh ... you like it under the tail too, when he's ready for you?" He asked her.

He knew in an instant she didn't get the reference, and wasn't giving it her entire attention thanks to his thrusts and the pleasure spreading through her body again.

"Like a tom takes a tom," Jake explained, adding a second finger and playing with Chance's prostate enough to make the tabby tremble.

"No," she made a bit of a face, only to moan and lose all sense of distaste. "That for toms," she panted, squeezing her eyes shut as she began to whimper in need.

"No problem," Chance panted, tipping her back so he could lick at her breasts and nipples and felt her arch into the contact willingly. "Want us both with you, or just keep trading who's in the middle?" He asked her.

"There are other options," Jake purred in the pause of her confusion, pressing a third finger in Chance's ass and working his prostate to send bolts of pleasure rushing through the tabby's body. "Especially in a bed. Her mouth, frontage," he shivered in anticipation. "Plenty of ideas."

"I'd thought you'd... mmm... want to keep it in the pool," Chance groaned. "Not careful, round two'll be mighty short," he teased lightly.

"Chance in against Eantila back, Jake rubs front?" she suggested, her words broken by moans and tremors of an approaching orgasm.

"That would work in here," Jake grinned, nuzzling the tabby's back. "Think you're ready for me?"

"Ready," Chance nodded, spreading his legs a bit, holding Eantila by her hips as he fought to hold off until Jake was inside him. It wasn't long before he felt the thick, hot hardness of his mate's cock press pass the tight ring of muscle and into his body. It was nearly an agony holding back until the lean tom had hilted inside him, especially with the way Eantila was milking him with her body and nibbling on his neck.

When Jake finally moaned deeply, his soft sheath against Chance's body, he let go, his seed erupting into the shekat around him as his ass bit down around Jake's member, the tabby's roar filling the room, and probably audible well outside it.

He roared a second time, his seed still spurting into Eantila's body, when Jake let out a cry of his own and began to fill his ass. Strong arms came around Chance's body to hold him tightly as Jake pressed against his back in his ecstasy and surrendered completely to it.

"Mmm ... remind me why I don't make you do this more often?" Chance asked, panting as he finally started to come down, reaching back to rub Jake's hip.

"Because you love you love the way I moan and pant when you take me hard so much more," he grinned and reached around to slide his hand over Eantila's sex, his fingers rubbing both sides of Chance's cock when it was buried in it. "Lady Eantila, do you like to watch?"

"Very much," she purred, moaning at the attentions he was giving her. "Two warrior toms are very sexy together."

"You prefer the show here, or out of the water?" Chance asked her, milking Jake's cock with his ass, fondling her breasts as he kissed her neck again, starting to ramp up for a third round.

"Mmm, in your bed," she purred, willingly letting Chance pull out of her. She settled on her feet and leaned forward to kiss him. "Show me what excites him," she breathed after their mouths parted.

"You want to be on top, or bottom?" Chance rumbled to his mate, leaning back to kiss him as Jake slowly started thrusting again, the tabby's cock still stiff.

"Think you have a couple more rounds in you?" Jake grinned up at him playfully as he reached around to lightly stroke Chance's cock, taking time to play with each of the rubbery barbs. "It does feel good in you. Then you take me on the bed."

"Mmm ... when was the last time I gave out after four rounds when we had time?" Chance grinned back at Jake, thrusting lightly into his hand.

"Good," Jake nuzzled the tabby's broad back and began to thrust for real. Even though he wasn't in any hurry to get off, the rarity of the sensations, of being deep inside such a hot, tight space, made it unlikely it would take long.

"Mmm ... that's it, fuck me buddy," Chance groaned, his breath quickening. He didn't get fucked by _anybody_ nearly often enough... not that he usually complained, but it made the rare occasions he was absolutely incredible. When Jake used all the little tricks, like paying as much attention to his balls as his cock, he leaned forward to brace against the edge of the pool and lowered his head, panting and fighting to hold off until Jake was right on the edge.

He _had_ to remind Jake to do this more often.

"Damn you're tight," Jake panted, pressing against Chance's back as he thrust deep and hard.

"Fill me," Chance moaned, squeezing down around Jake, feeling his barbs against his prostate. He cried out as he came, seed spurting out of the water a bit.

The roar behind him as his ass was flooded by the hot seed pumped in with each hard thrust his mate made drove the pleasure even higher.

Jake slumped against his back, panting and shuddering from the intense pleasure of their mating.

"Mmm... now the question is, are _you_ up for more than just a couple more rounds," Chance purred, pressing back against Jake. "After I'm through with you, you've got a lady to please," he winked.

"If this is any example of you showing off, I'll borrow Nomoen and watch you," she purred hotly. "If that is right with you?" she quickly backed off her assumption.

"No pain, then yes," Jake put a condition on it.

"No pain," she promised with a grin before rumbling something deep in her chest to herself.

"Let's dry off then," Chance purred, climbing out, groaning as Jake's cock slid out of his ass. "Mmm ... you want to see how we usually start?"

"Yes," Eantila purred deeply as she used the steps to leave the bathing pool. It made a slower, but more graceful, exit. Her manner with Ethus and Hlan as they dried her off also showed just accustomed she was to being waited on.

"If we can get some oausio, we could have some real fun," Chance grinned even as Jake shivered in real anticipation. "Ever watch a tom come dry? Jake's a blast when you get him that far."

She barely had to glance at Naul before the palace servant darted away to fetch the special wine.

"He is good at it too," Jake whimpered deep in his throat, his entire manner anticipatory. "Doesn't need help either."

"While we wait for the special drink," Chance rumbled as he finished drying off, "why don't you get down and get your favorite?" He winked.

Jake didn't even hesitate before he knelt and nuzzled his lover's groin, then began licking his balls with slow, measured stroked of his tongue.

"That's good," Chance groaned, reaching down to stroke Jake's head lightly. "Turn around a bit, let her get a _good_ look at what you're doing," he grinned even as they shifted. He had to admit, it was a turn-on to see how hot watching this made her and that she made no effort in the least to conceal the fact that she was getting off on watching two toms together.

It wasn't something he'd see in MegaKat City, even in his own time.

"Oh yeah," the tabby groaned, his breath hitching as he stroked Jake's ears. "Fuck I love your mouth."

"Better than most?" Eantila purred deeply as Nomoen knelt between her legs to pleasure her with his tongue.

"One of the best I've ever had," Chance nodded. "And I've got lots to compare to," he admitted with a wink and a grin.

"A stud," she grinned back, her hand on the back of Nomoen's skull while he worked. Though she was good to her word, there was more control in her handling of him than what Chance did with Jake. Her eyes closed briefly in pleasure before Jake sucked one of Chance's heavy, full balls into his mouth, trying to get the tabby off without touching his cock.

"I do my best," Chance groaned deeply before he came, spurting his seed all over Jake's face and the top of his head as the servants came back and poured a goblet of the aphrodisiac wine.

"That is a skilled mouth," Eantila moaned as she watched the scene, then watched Jake quickly wash his face off before he kissed the tip of his lover's cock as he stood to claim a real kiss.

"Sensitive balls," Jake snickered with a wink for her.

"And a skilled mouth," Chance purred, kissing Jake back. "Mmm ... want to demonstrate that mouth of yours while I fuck your ass?"

Jake opened his mouth to say yes, only to have the sound freeze in his throat for the heartbeat and a half it took him to suppress the memories again. "N-no," he shook his head a little apologetically.

"Later then," Chance said easily, turning Jake around and kissing his neck before whispering into his ear.

"If you need to stop, tell me."

"I will," he promised, moaning at the kisses and the way Chance's strong hands roamed his body in full view of the hungry eyes of a Traveran noble.

"Good," Chance murmured, kissing Jake's neck and mounting him from behind, sliding his thick cock into Jake's ass with a groan. "Mmm ... always love how this feels."

"Oh yesss," Jake shivered, his breath sharp and quick as Chance held him upright and against his chest, the tabby's strong arms wrapped around his lover and roving his abs, chest and throat. "Ohhh," he moaned before sucking one of Chance's fingers into his mouth when it strayed close.

"Mmm ... isn't he gorgeous like this?" Chance grinned, thrusting slowly into Jake's ass as the tom suckled on his finger. "Pretty little slut for me," he crooned.

"Yesss," Eantila rumbled and settled on the floor on her belly. Without a single command Nomoen moved around to lay on top of her and buried himself in her sex with a hungry thrust.

"Anything for you," Jake moaned, his body tense from pleasure as he squeezed around the thick cock invading his body.

Chance let him get down on his hands and knees, and started thrusting hard and fast, pistoning his cock in and out of the tom's tight ass as their balls slapped together, his eyes roaming Eantila's shapely body as Nomoen fucked her with equal gusto.

The Caracal fem came first with a sharp yowl as her claws dug into the stone floor. The tightness of her body set Nomoen off quickly, a response that seemed almost trained.

When Jake arched his neck up, Chance grabbed it in his jaws and pinned both of Jake's hands to the floor with his own. He could smell, feel, the intense need in his mate's body and gave it to him. With a slight shift he rammed Jake's prostate with each thrust. It was only moments before Jake rowled loudly, shooting his seed into the polished stone floor as Chance roared and filled his ass with his own come, panting hard as they came down.

"Very sexy," Eantila rumbled, pushing her hips back against Nomoen, causing him to begin to thrust again.

"I want to see what the wine does to him," Jake purred mischievously. "If it's anything like heat-scent...."

"Stronger," she grinned at the pair.

"Bed?" Jake glanced between them.

"Before the wine," Chance nodded and reluctantly pulled out to let them move. "You might not get a chance to make it otherwise," he winked.

Jake could only laugh and walked quickly to the other room where the pillows were soft.

Chance followed him, nuzzling Jake's neck as he drank the wine.

"You want some too, or want a chance of us stopping before tomorrow night?" He teased.

"Oh, I want some," Jake purred deeply and took the crystal goblet for a long drink before giving it back.

Chance took another drink himself, setting the goblet aside before kissing Jake heatedly, pressing him back into the cushions.

"Glad you agree to have her over?" He rumbled, already feeling the effects, the fire in his gut, the hot flush throughout his body and the way it started to shut his mind down the same way a shekat in full heat did.

"Yes," Jake moaned as he began to feel it, thought not as strongly. "Oh gods," he arched into the contact of his mate's body. "Fuck me already."

Chance grabbed hold of Jake's legs, raising them up and shifting so he was between them, kissing his mate greedily as he slammed his cock into Jake's well-stretched ass, quickly picking up the pace until he was slamming into the smaller tom's prostate, his balls already aching to empty themselves again.

It was an impossibly hot experience, feeling this impossibly turned on by his mate.

He was going to have to get some of this oausio wine when they got back to modern times. He could just imagine celebrating their anniversary with this.

* * *

For as fast as Chance was on his feet at the loud noise, Jake was even faster, and they were both dressed in local clothes in a heartbeat, even as they noticed that their servants were cowering, trying to hide from the terrifying sound that the partners knew all too well.

Explosives.

"Shelling?" Chance asked, looking around to try and get some idea of what was going on. "Lothos doesn't have that sort of range...."

"Not sure, but I doubt it," Jake shook his head as they ran towards the sound of the smaller explosions coming from the same direction as the big one. "I think it's the warehouse."

"Shit, the ammo," Chance swore, speeding up to a dead run, not sure who might try to go fight the fire only to find they were dealing with a crate of burning bullets.

Jake easily matched his pace. "I don't think we can do anything but keep folks away," he added as they hit the open air and could see the glow and flying sparks of the ammo going up.

"Not unless you've got foam loaded up in the Sun," Chance agreed grimly. "You think somebody went after her?"

"No, and no," he shook his head before yelling out in Traveran to the warriors trying to stop the fire. He got him several dirty looks before he yelled something else that caused them to back away. "The security system hasn't gone off."

"Just warned them about the ammo?" Chance guessed. "If they had a mage who could shut this down, they would have already... damn."

"Yeah," Jake nodded as an idea hit him and he brought out the remote he had to call the Black Sun to them. "If we dump enough sand on it, it could smother the fire."

"We've got plenty of that here," Chance agreed, watching the jet come in and following Jake towards it where it could land without fanning the flames. "I'm ready to take off when she's here."

Jake shouted a few more things in Traveran before the jet arrived. "Get on board and ready. I'll set it up to grab and dump sand."

"Just lemme know if I'll have to fly backwards," Chance said, grabbing on and swinging up into the cockpit with a move he usually didn't have to bother with but was showy non-the-less.

"You shouldn't," Jake called up to him as a large sheet was brought out and attached to something under the jet before Jake came out and leapt up to take his seat. "Just drag it through a sand dune to load it. I have a release set up to drop one side when we're over the fire."

"No problem," Chance nodded, rising above the walls and taking off into the desert to pick up the sand, aiming for a tall dune to start out with. It was more than a bit of a fight to pull up with a full load of sand that all but doubled the weight of the jet, but as overpowered as the Black Sun was, it didn't take him long to get the hang of it and they were soon dumping tons of sand on the crackling building and it's shooting projectiles.

"Thoughts on replacing supplies?" Jake asked when the warehouse was down to a smoldering pile of sand.

"Pick up part of their next shipment early," Chance said after a moment. "We'll need the ammo, at least - everybody's down to what's in their current clip right now. We're just lucky we let them keep the weapons they were working with. Damn, I wish Traveris wasn't so quiet about what happened during this war," he grumbled.

"Given we _still_ don't have an embassy, I'm not surprised," Jake pointed out. "I'm still not sure how the hell this alliance happened when the Golden Empire didn't."

"Y'wanna put down any money it has to do with Traveris being interested in guns for use against the Goldens?" Chance asked quietly. "At any rate, what do we have to do before we take off for the nearest MKC base?"

"Just let them know where we're going," Jake said. "It probably won't be bad to not be around for the witch hunt that's about to start," he murmured before they set down to explain their absence.

"I'm with you there," Chance agreed, shutting up before he slid back the canopy and climbed out, looking around for somebody with some rank they could tell.

It only took a minute to spot Queen Sha'nae and her sister, Lady Mi'ku. Both looked _very_ irate and were shouting orders to various parties, causing even more chaos than a fire in the desert.

"You have any clue who she's yelling at, and for what?" Chance asked Jake quietly as the smaller tom landed on the sand next to him.

"She's calling for her mages, and to hunt down everyone involved," Jake did a quick summary. "This is a direct challenge to her authority as Queen and a living god. She brought those things here, and us, and any attack on them is an attack on her. Expect some finger pointing at us, they're xenophobic on average, but I doubt she'll buy it."

"Then let's go tell her we're getting replacements; it'll help deflect that sort of blame," Chance nodded, walking towards her with military bearing and a mindset of having to face the Commander in his full furry.

The Queen's gaze snapped to him as soon as he entered attack range, and he was fairly sure that furry wasn't going to be directed at him.

He knew Jake was right behind him, acting more as interpreter than partner, but he couldn't really blame him. Even without an ugly history with Traveran females, she was intimidating.

"Your Majesty; we can return to MegaKat City and pick up a replacement shipment of weapons and ammunition within a day or two," Chance explained quickly and simply, pausing here and there for Jake to translate. "With this attack, we don't have enough ammunition to properly train even the students we have, and no weapons to train future units."

She nodded sharply. "Go."

Chance saluted her, then turned to head back to the Black Sun.

"That went well," he observed as they climbed in. "You'll have to call ahead and let them know we're coming and why ... if the shipment is mid-ocean, we'll have to stop at the freighter."

"Will do," Jake replied and went to work getting the message relayed between all the stations it would have to go through to reach the other side of the ocean. "It'll be the better part of an hour before we hear back, if my math is right."

"That sounds right," Chance nodded and lifted off, taking a high-altitude, low-sleep approach to MegaKat City until they knew where they were going. "So... you think it was Lothos, or somebody local?"

"If it wasn't local, it's most likely to be a Golden infiltrator," Jake shook his head. "Honestly, I don't think any of them are likely, but for anything but a Caracal to get into the palace grounds without being noticed and stopped ... it's just improbable."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a spy," Chance pointed out. "They might have somebody they hired."

"Possible," Jake consented, though his tone said how unlikely he thought it was. "You're still talking about crossing their living god. It's hard to imagine a local would, for anything like that. The most likely answer is also the most dangerous for us. Palace politics. Someone very close to all this thinks she's wrong enough to bring the weapons in to do something about it. Even if it's just a low-ranking servant, we're still going to be a target. I'd put bets on it being a priestess, if it wasn't a Golden.."

"Mi'ku, possibly," Chance offered. "Either way, you're right, it's bad for us... means the Queen's the next most likely target, after us. We'll have to up our security... _non_ lethally," he added quickly.

"Looks like you'll be on your own for training for a couple days, and let's really hope that it isn't one of our students," Jake nodded with a sigh. "The scary part is we're _still_ probably safer in Traveris than MegaKat City right now."

"Yeah, one group of assassins is a lot easier than a platoon of jackass homophobes with guns," Chance muttered. "I really hope they don't try to give us trouble about the guns... so, better topic?"

"Go for it," Jake agreed quite willingly, even as his mind was going over just what he could do about security without offending their hosts.

"How'd you like Eantila?" He asked his partner, setting the auto-pilot for the time being. "Sexually and otherwise," he added.

"I don't know if I'd want to be alone with her, but she's rather fun," he said thoughtfully. "Good student, good shot ... if she wasn't a Caracal I'd probably like her a lot more."

"Think you'll want to play with her again? I'm not worried about anything long-term," Chance chuckled. "She's not looking to elope to the future... gonna have to find out if Agetha _does_ still want that or not, before we do it to her."

"You might want to wait on Agetha until it's a bit closer to when she does go down," Jake pointed out. "Isn't it like two years or something to go? And ... if you're there, I think so. It doesn't hurt to have friends there who aren't total sadists."

"I'll stick around, promise," Chance said seriously. "Might actually work to your favor - if it's known that we're sleeping with her, it might cut down on others looking for you."

"Maybe," Jake said thoughtfully. "At the very least, it will reinforce the notion that sleeping with me requires going through you. What all did she tell you about what she was looking for?"

"Proving that not all Traverans were like the idiot who grabbed you, mostly, though I suspect she's also enjoying the play... having some experience with shekats, I'd guess she'd want kits if she knew it was possible. She's got that sort of feel to her. But she's going about it the right way, if you ask me," he admitted. "At least for somebody who doesn't want to come out and say it, or have the sire around."

"I'll give her that," Jake consented. "If she wasn't what she is, I'd probably be fine with her. _She_ hasn't done anything wrong. It's just hard to trust a Traveran fem, no matter how submissive she's willing to be."

"I understand, Jake, and so does she," Chance reassured him. "She's actually pretty progressive, if I'm not mistaken. You noticed how easily she took to a different weapon."

"I have noticed," Jake nodded, relaxing in his seat, comfortable in the knowledge that nothing of the day could reach them. "She's probably as good as her kind get. It really is hot to watch you with a shekat," he added with a low purr. "Very hot."

"We'll have to arrange it more often... or set up cameras on my room after we get home," Chance smirked, then stopped and laughed, shaking his head. "Of all the places for my head to go... I just started thinking about what the fridge'll look like when we get back."

"Like a biohazard experiment, I'm sure," Jake laughed himself. "It's good, but not that good. Random thought. You up for running a little experiment while we're here? Invest some of our paycheck in a company that's doing well in our time and see if the shares are still around when we get home."

"What the Hell, why not?" Chance shrugged. "Heh - maybe we can get something that'll turn into a controlling share in Pumadyne," he smirked.

"Now wouldn't _that_ be a trick," Jake laughed deeply. "I don't know if we have that kind of money, unless we raid for it."

"I was joking... though if you showed them a couple of your designs ahead of time, you'd be well on your way," Chance mused.

"Possible," Jake thought about it. "Though it _would_ be possible without it, knowing what we already do. We do have at least two more trips that we know about. If we end up in our time before them, it would be easy enough to bring enough gems back to pay for it. I know reputable law firms in this time that will be around in ours to handle things while we can't."

"Maybe we should start with a smaller experiment for this trip," Chance chuckled. "Might work better to just establish a bank account or something, eliminate the chance that something happens that we don't know about in the company's background."

"That is good, and we can do a small investment in a company I worked for. I do know their histories very well," Jake nodded, pausing as their radio crackled to life.

"Black Sun, the Commander gives no authorization to pick up additional weapons or ammo for your mission," the voice on the other end said, reading from a message that had been relayed a couple times already.

"What?" Chance frowned, glancing down at it and picking up the comm.

"Base, was the Commander informed that the original shipment was largely destroyed? We're just looking to pick up some of the next shipment and move it ourselves, rather than waiting for the ship. If you can inform us of it's location via coded message, we could pick it up ourselves."

"Relaying your request," the voice replied.

"This is not good," Jake murmured.

"If that sonofabitch left us out in the cold," Chance growled lowly. "And fucked over his shot at an alliance with Traveris to do it?"

"We know it didn't last," Jake murmured. "So if he is ... what next?"

"Yeah, but it lasted through the war at least," Chance muttered. "If he is... you know if the WAR is chambered to handle Lothos 30 cal rounds?"

"Maybe it lasted because of us," Jake sighed. "Yes, they should handle it. It's not absolutely perfect, but they're close enough to work. The WSR should take their 50 cal round even better. This generation of guns aren't nearly as fussy as ours."

"Yeah, but the ammo's not as reliable either," Chance pointed out. "If we have to do that, we've got to be sure we hit the Teldan Lake munitions facility, most of the others had shit for reliability rates."

"We might as well grab weapons while we're at it, if we can't get them from our side," Jake added. "I don't suppose you know where Vidon is today?"

"Not off-hand; his itinerary is still partly classified, and on a daily basis is a little tight anyways."

"Right, so we play radio tag and head for the city," Jake nodded. "You know, it _might_ not be him. The Mayor could be causing trouble too."

"Yeah, but if the Commander's the one who won't authorize it... I hope you're right, but I wouldn't want to bank on it," Chance grumbled. "How are we on missiles that don't explode? We might need some."

"Give me an hour on a friendly base and I can have anything you need," Jake said easily. "That are loaded ... three."

"Should be enough to get us through an outer wall if we have to, but more wouldn't hurt," Chance nodded. "We'll just need to be careful... we're supposed to be in Traveris, and I wouldn't put it past whoever's blocking the weapons to try and say we're AWOL."

"Yeah, even if the Queen will say otherwise," Jake grumbled. "She did tell us to go. Still there have to be bases near the front line that haven't really gotten the message yet that we're not welcome."

"I hope so," Chance nodded. "Hope he gets the message soon... if we're lucky, it's just a misunderstanding. Somebody forgot to tell him it was an emergency situation when they relayed the original or something."

"Or at the very least, that the shipment just isn't ready yet. If nothing went wrong, we wouldn't have needed it for at least a couple months yet," Jake added before the cockpit settled into a somewhat uneasy but relaxed silence as they waited for the response and hoped it would be better news. Both toms were growing convinced that fate hated them too much to kill them.

"I think we should be able to make a raid on Taldan Lake without too much preparation," Chance offered after a few minutes of figuring out the logistics. "The big question is if they'll have somebody there outfitting a new mage-fighter."

Jake could only groan at that thought. "I hope not. That was just a pain."

Before Chance could agree, the radio beeped for their attention again.

"Black Sun here," Jake picked it up.

"Black Sun, your request will not be ready for pickup for two months," the radio operator told them.

"Is there at least ammunition that can be diverted in the meantime?" Chance asked. "If not, we'll need to stop at a base to be refueled before collecting supplies from an alternate source."

"Understood, Black Sun," the operator said. "Do what you need to."

"Will do," Chance sighed, as much to himself as to the radio operator.

* * *

"So just how much do you know about the Taldan Lake plant?" Jake asked as they crossed the border into northern Lothos without anyone the wiser for where they were headed.

"Central Lothos, wiped out pretty much all the fish in Taldan Lake with waste water... best weapons during the war though," Chance brought Jake up to speed. "Covered several square miles, and built everything from sidearms to tank cannons. They probably built those lightning guns we saw. The good news is that they aren't that heavily defended against a frontal assault, being mid-territory; they were more worried about sabotage than anything short of the Blue Manx's fighter-bomber."

"And us," Jake chuckled lightly. "Any clue what building to hit for what we need?"

"My guess would be the eastern warehouse, but on our way out, we might want to leave care packages at the factories between us and Traveris."

"I think we can manage that," Jake nodded and turned his mind to the assault itself. "This is one case where you really have a better idea how to make this work than I do," he admitted a little uneasily.

"Right," Chance nodded. "When we get there, we'll come in from the west. We'll shoot down any resistance, drop a couple incendiaries on anything that looks important on the west side. We make it to the east side, blow the doors to the warehouse, and head in. I load as fast as I can, while you keep them from getting too close until we can make our escape. That'll be the risky part," Chance admitted.

"As long as there isn't a mage there, it won't be too bad," Jake assured him as much from habit as anything. "I can keep anybody else off your back."

"No telling if there will be or not," Chance reminded him, "and they'll bring in anything they can spare if they don't fall for the fires. I just hope I'm right about where they have the guns, or we'll have to explain why we're bringing back something much bigger than rifles."

"We could blow the entire plant up," Jake suggested. "I can't imagine they'd put priority on us with that in flames."

"I'd rather not, for two reasons," Chance said, shaking his head. "First off, at no point during the war was the plant destroyed, though there were bombing runs. Second, they had shifts running 24/8."

"I'll buy the second one," Jake sighed. "All right, let's hope you're right and we get a good haul out of this. Maybe next time we'll manage to have better intel first."

"Hopefully," Chance nodded slightly. "Get ready to handle triple-A guns, we'll need to take a couple of them down on the way in. Incendiaries loaded?" He asked, coming in low for their approach.

"Ready and waiting. Just point out the right targets, if you know them," Jake said as he slipped completely into ground assault mode, targeting the dangers in order with his own guns without thinking about it.

"The two westernmost warehouses we'll fly over, and the smelting facility that'll be pouring smoke," Chance told him, shifting to take them in a route directly over some of the anti-aircraft batteries. It was a time he was more grateful than usual for the heavy armor Jake had installed in the Black Sun. Once he'd thought it was a waste of power. Now, he couldn't be more grateful for the way the plane could shrug off even direct hits.

By the time Jake had ignited the three targets and cleared most of the AA instillations, he couldn't imagine trying to do this in an unarmored jet.

" _Hate_ trying to take out targets in forest!" Chance muttered to himself, coming around as fire teams rushed out to the warehouses and smelting facility. "Get ready to break down the doors."

"Target acquired," Jake responded a moment later, launching a single wall-buster missile at the warehouse's large main doors.

"Load something to bust out the back wall when we make the run," Chance said, pulling the throttle back. "We'll be landing hot, and taking off hotter." He came to the shortest landing possible without making a full VTOL, using the thrusters as brakes so he could bleed off even more speed. As the jet was still settling, the canopy was back and Chance was running towards the nearest crates of supplies and the gear used to move them.

"Get the bay!" He shouted to Jake even as he realized his partner was already opening the bomb bay up and working fast to set up the storage space while still using missiles.

By the time Chance had checked the first crate for contents, thanking the powers that be that the war had taught him to read the Wolfen military markings, and gotten the forklift set to move it, Jake was laying on top of the Black Sun's hot fuselage, his sniper riffle set to pick off anything that came within a thousand yards.

"How much space do we have with our current fuel load?" Chance asked as he drove the first load up carefully, needing to take some extra time thanks to his lack of training with the forklift, especially one built for somebody so much larger than him, and the utterly ill-suited space he was trying to get the crate into.

"We can take fifteen tons, with a stop to refuel," Jake called back before falling silent. A single shot rang out a few second later, then silence again.

"I don't think we have much attention," Jake added a moment later.

"That's a good thing; I'm going to need time to load," Chance muttered, going back after a pallet of ammunition, trying to gauge the weight as he moved it over.

Jake nodded and put his full focus on making sure no one got close to them. Neither tom felt the passage of time. It moved too quickly and stood still as their hearts raced in their effort to claim enough weapons and ammo to finish their assignment in Traveris.

A second shot rang out from the Black Sun, but Chance didn't give it more than the glance required to know that Jake had fired it and his partner wasn't worried.

"Just two more loads and I'll be ready to go," Chance told him, going back for another crate of assault rifles. He looked up as he saw a ripple in the side of the wall, then swore as he realized it wasn't just shrapnel from something outside blowing up hitting - the wall was literally becoming liquid!

"Mage!" He shouted, jumping off the forklift and bolting for the jet as Jake swiveled around in a single motion and pulled the trigger without thinking the moment he sighted in on the form coming threw the wall.

The time to sight him in was less than the time to cast a spell though. A blast of lightning melted the bullet before slamming into Jake and throwing him off the Black Sun. Chance whirled, drawing his blaster and squeezing off a single shot. The mage looked utterly startled at being attacked by something other than a bullet - for the split second it took for the bolt to sear a hole between his eyes.

"Jake, are you all right?" Chance asked, rushing under the jet to see how his mate was. His uniform was charred. Smoke wisped from his fur and clothing.

"Fucking hate mages," Jake moaned, his entire focus on damage assessment before he struggled to his feet with Chance's help. "Get back to loading," he insisted, leaning against the jet's landing gear. "I'll live."

"We've got enough," Chance said firmly as he grabbed Jake and picked him up for the leap to the cockpit. "We're getting out of here while one of us can still fly."

"Okay," Jake couldn't make himself object as he struggled into his seat. He didn't fight it when Chance helped strap him in. "Must not have been very powerful," he mumbled to himself as Chance settled himself and got ready to fly without his gunner.

"Powerful enough to vaporize your bullet and riffle," Chance pointed out. "Probably what kept you alive." He ran the checks as quickly as possible. "Switching fire control to secondary system," he said, before firing a pair of missiles to blow out the wall ahead of them, taking off fast and steep. He knew it could have gone so much worse, but it didn't really help him accept the scorched ozone smell from the back seat, or that his partner was no doubt more injured than he let on.

"Just how hurt are you?" he asked when he reached cruising altitude, their flight path set in the autopilot for the nearest base midway between them and Traveris.

"Jake?" he turned his head to look and cursed under his breath at the limp form and way Jake's head was lolled off to one side.

"Hang on, buddy, I'll get you to medical fast," Chance muttered, setting a course for the nearest base that wasn't immediately on the front. He hoped it was just the g-forces, but he had a feeling it wasn't - he hadn't pulled _that_ many g's getting them airborne.

His only real comfort was the silence of the dead-kat alarm. It wasn't much, but it told him his partner was breathing and his heart was beating.

A low, painful groan sometime later drew his attention to the back seat with a breath of relief.

"Too fast going up?" Chance asked him, glancing back to make sure Jake really was coming around.

"'Ur something," Jake mumbled, struggling to focus. "We out?"

"We're out," Chance nodded. "Close enough to it, anyways. I'm taking you back to an MKC base for medical care."

"Not safe," Jake said, struggling to remember why he didn't think they were safe at home even though he was sure it was true.

"And you think we're any safer back in Traveris?" Chance asked him incredulously. "You need a doctor, Jake, they're not going to give a shit if we're mates or not this close to the front."

"Traveris has magic," Jake managed a little more coherent thought. "Asaytae's healer. Electric ... can't do damn for it by tech."

"All right," Chance said dubiously, changing their course. "Is there anything I can do while we're en route?"

"Warn me ... if you fly hard," Jake struggled to stay coherent. "Oxygen," he got out before he strapped his mask on and turned it to full flow. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and stopped fighting his body. "Rest," he added.

"Rest then," Chance nodded, frowning behind his own mask as they flew back to Traveris. He couldn't remember what to do for an electrocution victim... it was a bit beyond his usual first aid training.

The trip back was unnervingly quiet; the only sound he _didn't_ want to hear was the alarm on Jake's vitals, but he wasn't getting anything else to indicate that Jake was getting better after recovering from the initial shock. He keyed up his radio, quietly praying somebody who knew Katian was on the receiving end like he'd been promised.

"Traveris, this is Black Sun - medical emergency, we need a healer stat."

There was a bit longer a delay than normal, just long enough he was about to repeat himself, when the radio crackled to life.

"Black Sun. Land in same place. Healer will come," the shekat's voice was sure and steady, even if her accent was fairly heavy. It was just what he needed, he realized.

"Thank you," Chance nodded. "We'll be there in five minutes," he told them, punching the engines as far as he dared given their fuel and the awkward weight in the bomb bay. It took far too long, but being here in five seconds after takeoff would have been too long too.

He saw Asaytae waiting for them, her horse and two others being held by the reins closer to the city walls by servants. She was up at the cockpit level as soon as it began to slide back.

One look told her who was hurt.

"What happened?" she asked Chance even as Jake started to unbuckle himself to get out.

"Lothosian mage hit him with a lightning bolt," Chance explained, turning to help Jake out. "We had some problems with the weapons, I'll explain later."

"He's lucky to be alive," she observed grimly and began weaving a healing spell. When the energy washed through the lean tom's body, Chance could see the results almost instantly as the nervous system damage cleared up. Jake's hands became more steady, his eyes cleared and his movements stronger.

"I know," Chance murmured. "Will there be any permanent damage? I got him back here as fast as I could."

Asaytae stopped Jake as he stood to jump down. "Not healthy yet," she insisted, then dropped into Traveran with a harder tone that garnered an instant compliance as Jake sat back down and lost all resistance to her orders.

Chance wasn't sure of most of the words, but he caught 'down' and 'now'.

"Not if I can finish," she told Chance before turning her attention back to Jake and sticking to Traveran.

A few minutes later and Jake was taking a ladder down that was brought out to the jet.

"He should not be in sun for some days," she told Chance as the three of them reached the ground. "No hard work."

"I'll make sure he takes it easy," he nodded. "Thank you," he said, honestly grateful. "The shipment in MKC wasn't ready yet, so we had to raid a Lothosian facility."

"Good," she nodded, watching Jake's movements carefully as they walked to the horses and mounted. "Hurt them, help us."

"That's the idea," Chance nodded, keeping a close eye on Jake himself. "We're going to need a while to rest before we unload... and probably a lot of people to help with strong backs."

"It will be arranged when you are ready," she promised. "Pay close heed to his ... mind ... thought-ways. Lightning can change people. Tell me. Same with find control."

"The body runs on electricity," Jake spoke up as they rode through town. "A jolt like that can rewire nearly anything."

"Yes," Asaytae agreed. "Very strange effects sometimes."

"I will," Chance promised. "Just wish I'd thought to shoot the bastard before he got his spell off, but quick-draw isn't really my forte."

"You hit him when it counted," Jake reminded him. "I'll be fine and we got out with minimal damage to the get and a full load of supplies. It went pretty well, really."

"We'll get you resting safely before I go and call it successful," Chance told him firmly. "We've got hundreds of new rifles though, and crates of ammo enough to last us at least until MKC's shipment arrives in a few months."

"A good day," Asaytae smiled at him. "How different are these weapons from the others?"

"In use? Not very," Chance reassured her. "Mostly, they're built larger and heavier, but we can modify most of them to work around that. Any progress with finding who set the explosives?"

Her expression went dark. "Yes, and it is not a name I am told."

"Queen's kin," Jake murmured very quietly. "Too much rank to punish publicly."

"Wonderful," Chance sighed. "I hope it's all been dealt with... we don't need to be worrying about the next attack being on us tonight."

"I know warriors to trust," Asaytae offered as they reached the palace gates. "To watch when you rest."

"Thank you," Chance nodded. "For tonight at least, we'd be most grateful," he admitted, finally starting to feel the tiredness that had been waiting to set in since the explosives had first turned this night into Hell.

* * *

Chance mopped his brow as he got back from his morning classes on the firing range, grateful to have the long break for lunch.

"How're you holding up?" He asked Jake as he stripped down to his slacks. He could already tell that his partner was restless, the stack of vellum and quill pens and ink pots around the writing desk that had been brought for him, was testament to that.

"I feel fine," he said as he turned slightly to look at his mate. Hunger almost immediately lit up his eyes. "You're all sweaty," he purred and stood to claim a lingering kiss. "They shooting well?"

"Teaching fifty stubborn shekats to shoot in the sun will do that," Chance chuckled lowly, kissing Jake back. "Hate this schedule, but there are benefits. Working on anything in particular, or just brainstorming?"

"Trying not to pace," he grumbled even as he slid his hands down his mate's strong sides. "Asaytae warned me I'd get a sedative in my wine if I didn't stop doing katas. Ready for some help scrubbing your back in the bath?"

"As long as we remember you're supposed to take it easy," Chance chuckled, stripping down the rest of the way and kissing Jake again. "You're doing a lot better... as long as you don't start sparking or speaking in tongues, should just be a day or two."

"I'll remember, but we can still have fun while taking it easy," Jake crooned, stripping down himself before they walked into the large bathing room. "Tongue bathing your balls doesn't take much energy."

"Very true," Chance purred, slipping into the pool with a low groan. "You'll be back on your feet in no time though... not for right now, but think you'd like to try topping again when the time comes?"

"Yes," he purred, taking a handful of the soap sand the locals used and going to work on his partner's back. "I never knew you got off on it like that."

"Mmm ... not all the time,' Chance admitted. "But once in a while ... we'd do it more often, if I knew you liked it," he chuckled.

"Mostly because you do," he said, working on the stiff muscles of Chance's shoulders. "It's not an inherent interest."

"I'll keep it in mind," Chance purred. "Mmm ... think we can get back home close to when we left?"

"It all depends on the mage and the magic," Jake murmured as his hands worked their way down the tabby's broad back. "If we pay for it, we should be able to get back during the battle, or at least within a day or two. If not ... just showing up in the same year will be a blessing."

"Definitely," Chance nodded, pressing into the strong hands on his back even as he began to clear the fur of his chest. "Have to sort out what we can trade for it, when the time comes."

"Our ... services ... is going to be the easiest, I expect," Jake said quietly, unhappy about it even as hew knew it was true. "I'm not going to trade my designs."

"I'm holding out that pilot lessons with a biplane or an above-average gun might do the trick," Chance sighed. "I can keep any of the ladies here happy though, I'm sure."

"I've done worse for less," Jake said quietly, working his way down to Chance's ass. "I may not like it, but I can do it. It's pretty obvious I'm still the more ... desirable one. We don't exactly have an above ... well, I could build one."

"That's what I'd been thinking," Chance nodded, flicking his tail up to rub Jake's crotch. "From what I know about mages, if we've got one who could send us through time, she could probably enchant a rifle built up to _our_ level of satisfaction to do most anything she wanted, but the regular ones from back now aren't so useful for magical purposes - not up to snuff."

"I'll ask Asaytae to find a time mage willing to trade services with us," Jake kissed his mate's back as he massaged as much as washed the firm cheeks of Chance's ass. "We _do_ have a lot we can offer one."

"Mmm... yeah, we do. Jake, how much do you remember from the other night?"

"I think everything," he chuckled and continued to kiss Chance's back as he drew his mate into shallower water so he could work on his legs. "Which night?"

Chance raised his tail with an unconscious shiver and moaned in surprise when he felt Jake's muzzle against the cheeks of his ass. "The night of the raid, when you were running interference."

"I remember," Jake nodded, his hands working Chance's thick, powerful thighs while he gave an experimental lick across Chance's clean, furless anus. "What about it?"

"Wonderin' how you're holding up," Chance murmured, his ass 'winking' at Jake's lick as the tom wriggled. "First time you've killed somebody yourself," he pointed out.

"Just fine," Jake said as he decided to see how much his mate would moan at a rimming. "They were clean, long-distance kills. Not like Steele."

"Forgot him," Chance moaned, spreading his legs to give Jake better access to his ass and felt the tom's hands move from his thighs to his balls, rolling them gently along his palm. "Haven't done this in _years_!"

"You like it though," Jake purred as he got into it, his mind blanking out just what came out the hole his tongue was working.

"Oh yeah," Chance panted, his balls twitching in Jake's hand. "You?"

"As long as you're _clean_ , not bad," he admitted, working his tongue around the sensitive pucker, alternating the soft and rough sides of his tongue.

"Only way I like it," Chance promised him, curling his tail over Jake's shoulder as his cock stiffened and slid from his sheath. "Want to move back up front?" He offered with a low purr, eager to feel his mate's mouth on his balls.

"Anytime," Jake grinned and slipped forward between his legs in a smooth motion that left him kneeling in front of the tabby to turn his tongue on the heavy golden orbs he so loved to bathe and suckle because of what it did to his mate.

"Mmm ... so glad you don't have hangups about this," Chance groaned deeply, reaching down to rub Jake's ears. "Hard to believe you didn't have more practice before we hooked up."

Jake smiled slightly before giving Chance's taint a long lick as he nuzzled his balls. "It's because it's you. I know you very well."

"No complaints," Chance groaned, spreading his legs further. "Mmm ... love how this all feels."

"Good," Jake purred before sucking a ball into his mouth to lavish it with his tongue and the wet, hot, confined suction there.

Chance moaned deeply, letting his mate work on his balls. It wasn't the same as a normal blowjob, but he got those fairly regularly - Jake was one of the few who did this to him instead. He noticed somebody looking around their main rooms just as he roared, spraying his seed over Jake's head and into the water of the bathing pool to be swept away by the slow current.

He shuddered when Jake finished by a long, slow lick up his ridged cock and cleaned the head before ducking under the water to clean his fur off.

"Warriors?" A light male voice called out from the door to the bathing room in Traveran.

"What is it?" Chance called back out, slipping under the water himself to finish cleaning up.

The tom waited for him to come up before continuing. "Queen Sha'nae will see you," he said in only lightly accented Katian.

"Did she say why?" Chance asked, climbing out to start drying off. "And does she want us both, or just one of us?"

The massager looked confused and a little frightened before Jake spoke up in Traveran. They exchanged a few lines before Jake translated.

"He only knows what he was told and it was to fetch us. It was plural, so both of us. He doesn't know Katian," he said as he dried off quickly. "He doesn't think she's angry though."

"Sorry, I thought he spoke Katian, with so little accent," Chance admitted, dressing in a clean set of clothes.

"He was probably just coached, learned to say what he did by rote," Jake said as he dressed and turned to check that his mate was all in order for such an important meeting.

"Probably," Chance nodded, considering his sash of awards. "Think we'll need this today?"

"It'd be appropriate," Jake nodded as he put his own on before claiming a quick kiss. "Here's hoping he's right and she's in a good mood."

"And that he didn't spend too long waiting for us," Chance agreed, returning the kiss before putting on the sash and turning to lead the way out with Jake right behind him. The walk to the throne room was familiar enough. It was the same place the nightly feats were held. The guards stepped aside to admit them to the court and the dozens of Caracal shekats doing whatever the ruling class did to run a country.

Next to the Queen, Asaytae sat, looking slightly less than completely comfortable in the important position. It was Queen Sha'nae who motioned them forward, however.

Chance stepped forward respectfully, remembering his first night here and hoping that doing most of the same thing he had then would keep serving him well. Though they'd eaten here several times since, it had not been at the Queen's table.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long for us, your Majesty," he said in his best Traveran, bowing to her and bringing his arm up across his chest.

She nodded her acceptance and the pair straitened.

"You did well taking back what was destroyed," she spoke in measured tone in Traveran with Asaytae translating in the breaks. "I would have you attack again to secure the boarder."

"Is there a Lothosian force gathering?" Chance asked her.

There was a short exchange between the Queen and Asaytae.

"Not as you mean," Asaytae said for the Queen. "They have forces in permanent camps that could hurt them if destroyed. If their boarder is burnt, marching across it is more difficult."

"Scorched earth and base demolition missions," Jake said quietly.

"Yes," Asaytae nodded.

Chance nodded silently; he knew it had happened, but he hadn't known how.

"We'll need time to prepare munitions for a mission like that; we weren't prepped for bombing runs when we came out here," Chance explained. "And with only one plane, it'll take several trips, and time."

Asaytae translated, and Chance caught enough of the answer to get that she agreed to it.

"It is understood," Asaytae said. "The resources of Traveris are at your disposal, including our mages."

Chance sighed, closing his eyes. He remembered what he'd seen when they moved out towards the northeastern Traveran border during the war.

"You have a mage who knows the Withering Curse?" He guessed.

"Yes," Asaytae answered. "There are also Mages of Fire, Weather and Summoning you may find useful."

"Weather would be better for cover," Chance nodded. "Jake, I'm thinking it would be best if I handled this on my own - I fly, the mages cast. It'll be faster and more controllable than a bombing run, even with you targeting."

And he didn't want Jake to see the Curse in action. He hadn't seen it cast, but he'd seen the aftermath a hundred years later, and that was bad enough.

"All right," Jake nodded. He wasn't happy, but he was on light duty and he knew his partner was right. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry, I know how this one turns out," Chance reassured him, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "If you can introduce me to the mage who knows the Curse, we can get this started."

Asaytae spoke with the Queen and nodded before she stood. "Come with me."


	18. Mistaken Intent

Chance stretched out as his evening training ended, looking forward to a night with Jake now that he was off 'light duty' - this was the last day he had to stick to working on his schematics, and Chance was planning on celebrating.

But when his nose picked up the scent of a strange female full into her heat, he felt his tail bristle despite himself. He wanted to trust the locals, but... well, Jake and female didn't usually go together, especially here! One in heat was just asking for trouble on all sorts of levels.

He didn't even realize he'd broken into a run until he skidded to a stop in their quarters to see Jake on his back in their cushion-bed and a young female Caracal riding his cock hard. To anyone else, he was sure it looked normal enough, but he knew his partner well enough to recognize the reason his tail was fluffed and why his hands were on her hips.

"Hey!" Chance shouted, breathing through his mouth and trying hard to avoid letting her heat scent affect him. "Get off him!"

The female turned her head and growled at him even as she flicked her tail up in an open invitation. The back of his mind registered that he was dealing with a teenager. Not on her first heat, but by no means an adult yet.

Chance's head ran over the options he had as quickly as he could... but the more he tried to think of what to do, the more his brain started to shut down for anything but listening to the constant chorus of 'fuck me' the shekat was singing to his nose. Damn it, he hated being a slave to his hormones like this sometimes... but it was at the point where that was the only option he could think of.

He practically ripped off his pants, pushing her back, off of Jake, and onto the ground with a possessive growl, keeping enough of his senses to remind himself he was just _playing_ the greedy tom.

She yelped, startled by the movement, but the moment she felt his cock against her mons she growled needily and tried to pull him inside with her legs.

He obliged her eagerly, slamming his cock into her pussy, quickly starting to thrust into her hungry body as he glanced back to see how Jake was. There was definite relief on his face, but he was also far too turned on for the situation as he rolled over and watched them fuck with the full strength of primeval instincts.

Chance didn't have the _focus_ to think about it; he just raised his tail in a silent offer to Jake, his hips pistoning against the girl's.

"Name?" He asked her, at least wanting to know _that_ much about the young fem he was probably going to impregnate.

"Aeress," she moaned, wrapping her legs around his hips, absolutely relishing every bit of what was happening. She whimpered as Chance's half-painful moan when Jake sank into him, the passage eased by the girl's juices thick on his cock and that they'd done it a couple times that week.

"Don't have to," Jake groaned in his mate's ear, humping the tom deep and hard, adding thrust to the pounding the shekat was getting.

"No reason not to," Chance pointed out with a low groan, squeezing down around Jake, the movement of his muscles pushing him a bit deeper into Aeress' sex as he nipped her shoulder lightly, bending his head down to lick her growing tits. This was not what he had in mind for siring his first litter, but it was a little late to change his mind as his balls pulled up at the intense pleasure of being in the middle and the pheromones drenching his brain and body.

Jake let out a roar as he stiffened, thrusting erratically as he came, the heat of his seed washing through Chance's insides. It was more than enough to draw a mewing cry of ecstasy from Aeress as her body, already on the edge just from her state, fluttered around Chance's cock, trying to draw every drop of hot, virile seed from him.

Chance roared as he filled her sex, not breaking his rhythm as he kept it up, knowing that neither of them wanted to stop now.

"You can... go back if y'want," he panted to Jake. "I can keep her busy."

"She brought oausio," Jake moaned, lying against Chance's back as they mated, his body no more willing to stop than the others. "Need this."

"Then use me," Chance told him, the last thing he figured he'd be able to say for a long time.

* * *

Jake and Chance began to stir to the sound of somebody approaching them in the room, and not being quiet about it ... or at least that's what was waking Jake up. Chance groaned as his nose began to react to the smell of a fem in heat.

"Get 'er out," he murmured, while he still had enough awareness to think about it. He pulled a pillow over his face to block as much of the smell as possible... at least they were only soaked with the smell of old sex, not the new demand for it.

A deep, half amused, half annoyed female voice said something with the tone of an order and Aeress' body got up rather quickly even as Jake was still against Chance's back and trying to gather enough of his wits to respond.

"Asuen's making her," Jake mumbled in translation and dropped his head back down, more than willing to let the female take care of their problem.

"Crap... morning classes," Chance groaned, opening his eyes and looking up at the Caracal who'd been sent for them as she all but forced Aeress into her robe and nearly shoved the girl out the door before ordering Hlan to see her safely home.

Chance knew he should pick up more of what she said to them, but his brain wasn't focused enough to translate such a new language.

"Do we cancel morning class?" Jake asked him.

It was times like now that Chance almost resented a military career starting in wartime.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'll be out as soon as I can clean up and get something to eat. Apologize for my being late, if you can?"

He felt Jake nod and say something in Traveran, to which Lady Asuen nodded and turned to leave as the toms dragged themselves to their feet, their bodies sore, depleted and bitching at them for moving.

"Come on, let's get clean while the room is freshened and food's brought," Jake put a hand on his mate's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Chance groaned as he stretched. "What happened?"

"She walked in, pushed me against the wall," he murmured, trying to work a few kinks out himself. "I think I stammered something, and she pushed that mug at me, ordered me to drink. Reflex kicked in and I did."

"Courtship in Traveris," Chance muttered, shaking his head. "And with me on the field, nobody could hear you who'd do anything."

"More breeding in Traveris, but yeah," Jake sighed as they walked to the bathing room. "At least I'm off light duty now. Between us, we should still get the class done well enough."

"Afterwards, maybe we can get some actual rest," Chance nodded. "What happens to a tom who sires a litter around here?" He asked Jake as they slipped into the water.

"Nothing, that I know of," he said, groaning as the warm water soaked down to his skin. "It's all maternal lines here, the sire seems irrelevant."

"Just wanted to make sure I wouldn't end up _belonging_ to her," Chance grumbled, cleaning as quickly as he could. "Wish I'd had the self-control to do something else."

"If _I_ had the self-control to send her away, you wouldn't have needed any," Jake pointed out as he wrapped his arms around his mate's body and kissed his spine, resting his head against his back. "At least they're still treating us as guests for the most part."

"That's something," Chance nodded as they separated and finished cleaning their fur. "You up to classes today? You could just work in the lab instead."

"I'm going to be sticking close to you for the next week," Jake shuddered. "She'll be looking for me otherwise."

"Probably convinced you agreed to it, too," Chance muttered. "If she shows up again tonight ... Kats, I don't know what we'll do, but we'll get rid of her somehow."

Nomoen set down a tray of food for them, heavy in fruit and other refreshing treats, and looked between them nervously. Eventually he said something very quietly in Traveran that caused Jake to blink. Even Chance caught the gist of the offer to run interference, and Jake's quick, grateful agreement.

"Thank you," Chance said quietly. "You don't have to do it for us, but thank you."

Nomoen nodded and smiled shyly when Jake translated, then left them to enjoy the water, their meal, and their own company.

"I'm not sure if he just likes us, or if he takes his orders seriously, but he can order her away now," Jake said before claiming a slice of fruit and eagerly eating to quench his thirst and hunger from the night's exertions. "He may be a slave, but he's the pet of the Queen's sister and following the orders of current masters."

"He's a good guy," Chance smiled as he started to eat, focusing on the meat that had come with the food. "Whatever his reason, he's doing a lot to try helping. Wish there was something we could do to help him in return," the tabby admitted.

"I think he's enjoying the fact he's important again," Jake said, grateful for the liquid heavy breakfast. "He was her favorite for several years, but she has new playthings now. It's a huge boost to his ego to know she chose him, of all her pets, slaves and servants, to take care of such important visitors. It's like being assigned to a visiting Head of State or such. If we're happy, it goes a long way to his status among the pets, and makes his mistress look good."

"Suppose it makes sense," Chance nodded. "Of course, the fact that we don't have the same demands he's used to probably helps," he chuckled lowly. "Ugh... never thought it'd be like that," he said, rolling his head to stretch out his sore neck and shoulders. "First time with a shekat who was actually in full heat... a little scary, really."

"Hopefully the next time will be because you _want_ the kittens," Jake shifted to rub his shoulders and kiss his neck affectionately. "Though I think I understand how 'fucked to death' came about now. Are you going to want to look up if any of them survived when we get back home?"

"I really ought to, just to know for sure," Chance pointed out. "Last thing I need is to find out that I'm dating my granddaughter," he smirked before groaning as strong fingers worked abused muscles.

"I still have contacts that will make it easy," Jake said before they finished eating.

"Good to know... I'm not going to force myself into their lives or anything, but if any of them made it I'd like to know before anything comes up. It's not like I never date part-caracals," he pointed out as they reluctantly got out of the water to dry off and dress.

"Is there anything you wouldn't date?" Jake teased.

"I _do_ have standards," Chance pouted, then grinned and winked at his mate. "Hot, for example."

"Standards that go lower with drink, or if you haven't gotten any for a while," Jake winked back and walked out of the bathing room with a sway to his hips, knowing full well neither of them had the energy or desire to play. "Come on, let's get the morning class over with so we can get a nap in."

"I know I'm tired when a nap is a better reason to get something over with than sex," Chance groaned, following Jake into their living quarters and gave a breath of relief that whatever the servants had done, it had taken the pheromones and smell of sex out of the air.


	19. Choices of Fate

One look at the Black Sun as she came in for a VTOL landing told Jake all he really needed to know about how the mission had gone. While she flew fine, there were chunks out of her armor, the trailing edge of the wings and tail were both damaged and lightning burns along her entire frame. Whatever had been defending the target, it had been one hell of a fight.

The mage hopped out and landed easily as soon as the canopy slid back. While she had kept her stomach, she clearly hadn't enjoyed the ride. Chance followed her out quickly, the increasingly usual grim look on his face. He didn't even bother looking around to see if Jake was there before he started to walk back towards the palace.

"Hey," Jake twisted sharply to catch his arm and started to walk with him. "What happened?"

"Lynx was moved out to our target zone," Chance said. "He's getting better, but it was pretty much a draw this time around. We made the target though."

"Is that all?" Jake asked, concerned by the extreme reaction to a successful mission and the increasing need to get drunk after every run.

"No, we also hit the base," Chance said quietly. "Look... can we get back to our quarters first?"

"Sure," Jake fell silent as they mounted the horses brought for them and headed for the palace. It was hard to conceal his worry, but he did his best.

"Have I really been that bad lately?" Chance asked him as they rode into the city, speaking quietly, keeping his eyes forward.

"Yeah," Jake kept his voice just as low. "You're starting to scare me."

"Sorry," Chance apologized. "Once I don't have to worry about who's watching, we can talk," he promised.

Jake nodded and let the silence fall again until they were in their quarters, undressed and in the cool, swirling water of their bath.

"Guess all of this is just taking me back to rough places," Chance admitted. "I saw the aftermath of everything I'm doing, when I was in Lothos," he explained. "Do you know what the Withering Curse actually does?"

"Haven't a clue," Jake said as he began to wash Chance's back, trying to help him relax without getting drunk.

"It kills everything... forever, as far as I know," Chance explained. "You can't even grow germs in a place affected by it. Nothing grows, nothing heals, and nothing you can do about it. I saw the end result back when I was on the front; we went through the dead zone to flank a battalion of Wolves. But seeing it _hit_...." He shuddered, shaking his head. "It's like watching somebody starve to death, in a matter of minutes."

He felt Jake's hands still against his back, and knew the sick, shocked look on his partner's face without having to look.

"Merciful Bastet," Jake finally whispered, shaking slightly. "We unleashed _that_?"

"Only in unpopulated areas, but it's ugly enough... I talked the mage down to less long-term destructive attacks on areas with people in them. That's why we were out so long today; it takes longer for fireballs and lightning bolts to take out a support base," Chance explained. "I was so glad that I'd never have to do anything like this when I was in Lothos... and there I was, telling her the places to hit that would do the most damage to their morale."

Jake swallowed. "Damn ... I mean ... just damn," he sighed. "At least you did talk her down from doing it to the whole country. But _fuck_ ... the screwed up head it must take to be a _healer_ and know that spell."

"Two sides of the same coin, I guess," Chance shrugged before dipping beneath the water. "Healing, you're encouraging growth and life, that... you're just stopping it. She didn't have any problems with it... I don't think they _get_ the idea of non-combatants."

"Sorry to say, it's a fairly new concept," Jake shook his head and dipped under the water himself. "Outside of heavily industrialized Kat countries like MKC, it's not normal even in our time. The only reason to spare what we'd call civilians would be to have them as slaves."

"I know, I know," the tabby sighed. "Doesn't make the idea any more likeable. Good news is that today should be the last run for a little while. Never thought I'd be glad to be grounded."

"Me either," Jake kissed his back and slid his arms around his mate. "No living targets for a while."

"I'm with you there," Chance nodded, turning around to kiss Jake gently. "Just snuggle for a while?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure thing," he smiled up and kissed him lightly. "Dry off and try to relax."

* * *

Jake relaxed in the back seat of the Black Sun, at ease in a strange way despite the vicious, bloody battle he knew was coming. Nearly a month in Traveris, a month and a half in the war, and it as here, in his creation with his partner, that he found a kind of peace. Up here, with Chance, they weren't in the middle of a MegaWar. Up here they weren't in danger because they were lovers, or warrior toms, or anything else. For a few minutes at least, he could forget the chaos and misery waiting for them when they landed.

"We're approaching the battle zone," Chance warned him. "You want to let them know we're coming, or keep mum about it?"

"Keep mum," Jake sighed, focusing on the impending fight. "We aren't supposed to be here after all."

"All...." Chance's voice cut off at the all too familiar sight in the clouds to their right. "Jake?"

"I see it," his breath caught in his throat. "Our shot at going home."

"Assuming that's where it's linked to," Chance pointed out. "For all we know, it's bound for the Dark Ages or worse."

"But we don't know anyone in this time can give us any better," Jake said. "We've had no luck finding a time mage of that power."

"We'd be abandoning the boys on the ground," Chance pointed out quietly. "We can't do both."

"The war was won without us," Jake said, though his resistance to staying was weakening. "Whatever we choose is how things went down. This could be our only chance for a decade to go home. It's a PastMaster portal ... it almost has to lead home."

"And the Knights still need us... krud, I hope you're right about that being the Past Master's portal," Chance sighed, banking to fly towards the portal. "Try and get a reading from the other side."

"Got something..." Jake murmured, stretching the sensors to their limit. "I can't be sure what, but it's on modern encryption, the last thirty years. Pastie's only been awake for seven."

"If we end up back before we hooked up, can I clue myself in early that you're interested?" Chance asked with a half-tease, punching the engines and praying they wouldn't hit anything on the other side.

"Absolutely," Jake grinned back, watching the swirling kaleidoscope of color that began to suck them in. When they came out on the other side, it only took Chance a moment to recognize MegaKat City.

"This is the Black Sun, reporting in," he called out on the radio. "Where's the little troll? Love to say 'hello' after the last time he saw us."

"Megakat Towers," Major Firetail's voice was a full cheer. "Welcome back. You look worse for the wear," she added as her Black Eagle came up along side them. "Sure you're up for a modern fight?"

"Are you kidding?" Chance grinned over at her as he replied. "Gotta prove I haven't gotten soft takin' out triplanes! We'll catch you up on things after Pastie's pasted."

"That's my Sundance!" she cheered him on. "How's your Raven?"

"Not as enthusiastic, Rumble, but I'm here," Jake chuckled, more relived that he dared express to hear her voice in good cheer.

"Hey," Chance chuckled, "I've got a good reason to be enthusiastic. I've been itching to get back at the little bastard," he grinned wickedly as they approached Megakat Towers. "Whaddaya know, it's actually still standing... we can't have been gone that long," he quipped.

"Nineteen days," Rumble told them before they focused on the battle and taking down the time mage. "Try to nail that book or pocket watch!"

"Got anything left for the job?" Chance asked Jake. "Don't think we have anything besides bullets in the guns."

"We don't," Jake said. "Get me a shot and I can break them both."

"Will do," Chance nodded, breaking formation along with the rest of the jets in the wing. After weeks of actual dogfighting in open spaces, it was more of a challenge maneuvering around buildings, but he was up to it. Before long, he brought the jet around, giving Jake a clean line on the skeletal mage.

He felt, as much as watched, their main gun open fire, ripping into the undead creature. They both knew it wouldn't do much against PasteMaster himself, but if they could damage his trinkets, he'd be greatly weakened. His watch was ripped out of his hand, and plummeted to the pavement below as Shark and Rumble swooped in, netting the Past Master while he was still stunned.

"Good to be home," Chance grinned.

"No kidding," Jake let out a breath of relief. "It'll still take a week to clean this poor girl's guts out. Not as bad as prehistoric gas, but she's all gunked up.

"You are _not_ giving up your vacation to patch up the jet," Chance told him sternly. "Not after we got back in time for it!"

"Hu?" Jake blinked, at an absolute loss on the subject as they formed back up with the wing.

"Black Sun, Sky Knight, head in for repairs," Rumble ordered them. "Everybody else, with me to finish the patrol."

"Yes ma'am," Chance agreed over the radio, turning to return to base. "Maybe _you_ don't remember, but you had an agreement with Meg," he chuckled. "Her heat?"

"That's no vacation!" Jake half laughed. "That's harder work that my job."

"Maybe it is, but it's work I want pictures of," Chance grinned as they approached the Tower. "C'mon, let's go handle the debriefing and let folks know we're home."

"Bets there are a half dozen calls from Meg when we get home," Jake couldn't help but grin before they settled into the business of landing and the small mountain of paperwork that was involved in a time trip.

"Only if I can put my money on an even dozen," Chance chuckled. "Heh - looks like your favorite mechanic's on duty," he observed as he saw Kip coming out to meet the jet when they rolled into the hanger.

"He's about to get his first test," Jake snickered as the canopy slid back and they jumped down. "Post-timetrip detox. Nothing quite like it."

"This is one bet I don't mind losing, sirs," Kip saluted them with a welcoming grin.

"You'd better have just bet it would take us longer to get home, and not that we wouldn't," Chance chuckled, returning the salute. "Otherwise you just threw your money away."

"Yeah, the pool was going, I picked three months," the big Wolf-Tiger nodded. "Do I even want to know what you did to the poor girl? Silvertip's been telling me everything she's been through on these trips with you two."

"You're lucky," Jake winked at him. "We only went back to MegaWar II. She's all gunked up inside from low grade fuel and she's been through several dozen battles, but no serious field mods were required this time."

"Megawar II, huh? Well, maybe if you two were showing off back then I'll be able to keep up with you guys now," Kip winked back, looking her over and making note of all the chips, chunks and damage done to the armor, wings and tail. He knew she'd fly like that, but it probably cut their performance in half. "Could be worse, but she took a hell of a beating... what singed the top though?"

"Lightning bolt," Jake said. "Grounded through me. The rumors of mages and mage-gunners in the war isn't rumor," he said grimly.

"Shit," Kip shuddered. "Well, you're okay obviously. Next time let the jet take it, it can handle the blast."

"He knows better than you do; he designed it, remember?" Chance chuckled lowly. "He wasn't _in_ the jet at the time. Long story you'll probably hear in a few days."

"I bet," Kip murmured, his eye turning to the jet as a repair mechanic. "She's going to need a lot of TLC from both of us to bring up to par again, but we have everything we should need here and plenty of hands to help out. A week, two if there are surprises."

"Agreed," Jake nodded, pleased by his assessment. "The timing sucks, but if you can get the time off, Meg's game to have us both entertain her during her next heat."

"Meg... friend of yours?" Kip guessed, cocking his head. "When'll that be?"

"Shekat," Jake nodded. "Not quite a girlfriend," he said and did a bit of math in his head and winced. "Week and a half. I would have asked first shift after she asked me, but we just got back from it."

"Well hey, I'll see what I can do," Kip said easily. "Easier for me to get off than you guys," he winked. "Besides, I'd have to be nuts not to at least try."

"Just one rule for you, wear protection or bring proof it's not needed," Jake said, though he kept his voice fairly low. "She doesn't want kits right now."

"I figured as much," the half-breed nodded. "Doc gave me a letter last time it came up, I'll dig it out."

"Good enough," he agreed. "I'll be back when the debriefing's done. I don't expect it'll be soon. Nineteen days gone here, a month and a half back then."

"Sounds like fun," Kip said, shaking his head. "Good luck," he told them as they headed to the Commander's office and the summons they knew would come as soon as he knew they were back and alive.

"So just what are we going to say when he asks about our stay in the brig?" Jake asked very quietly.

"Keep quiet about them being right, but otherwise tell the truth," Chance said quietly. "You weren't officially in there. I was, but I was also attacked by the Commander."

Jake nodded before they turned the corner and the Commander's prim aid-de-camp glanced up, her eyes going wide in recognition.

"One of these days you're going to get stuck in the past," she said with relieved exasperation. "Take a seat. Even unexpected, I'm sure he'll want to talk to you."

"Yes, ma'am," Jake said promptly, earning him yet another mock scowl.

"How many years and you haven't broken him of that?" she raised an eyebrow at Chance.

"Sorry, ma'am, I started out as a grunt, not a pilot," Chance grinned cheekily. "What do you expect?"

Before she could respond, her intercom buzzed and the Commander's voice told her to send them in.

Chance and Jake walked on through, saluting when they met the Commander.

"Clawson and Furlong reporting, Sir," Chance said respectfully. "Glad to be home."

The gray-furred giant nodded, looking them over. "The reports from your trip were quite an interesting read. Is there anything you care to add?"

"Mission-related, only that we ran several search-and-destroy missions along the Traveris/Lothos border," Chance explained. "I'm afraid I can tell you how the dead zone was formed, and what brought on the 'unexplained explosions' at the Talden Lake Armory."

"I will expect a full report on that before the week is out," he nodded. "Do you have anything to add to the remarkably one-sided incident that landed you both in the brig?"

"It only landed me in the brig, Sir, Jake came down there willingly in protest," Chance said calmly. "I assume there's information in there about the pictures that were taken, and what everybody assumed they meant. When the Commander confronted me about them, he attacked me in an attempt to beat the names of any other 'faggots' I might know about out of me. I defended myself."

Feral nodded, regarding them both evenly. "Since these will now become a part of your official records, I expect reports from each of you on the incident as well. Do you wish to deny the charges he made about your relationship?"

"You'll have them," Chance nodded. "And yes," he added. "Frankly, sir, there's enough fems around here who could testify that the idea's fairly ridiculous," he pointed out.

The tabby couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn he saw the briefest flicker of disappointment cross the Commander's golden eyes before he nodded and made note of that.

"The records of your time in Traveris are unsurprisingly sparse," Feral said, his focus shifting to the unusually quiet Jake. "Given your history there and the country's history, you will both be on light duty until you clear a phych exam. From what I heard of the state of the Black Sun, you will be cleared for flight before she is."

"Yes, sir," Jake responded quietly, earning another curious look from the big tom for his unusually submissive demeanor.

"It will also give us time to incorporate this into your records, update your awards, rank and T.I.S.," he smiled slightly at the pair. "You did very well, Captains. Is there anything else you wish to add that is not likely to be in your reports?"

"Not of an official nature," Chance said. "But if you're interested, we met one of your great-aunts; Agetha Furlong was an amazing pilot. I hadn't known she actually flew combat over Quatermass," he said respectfully.

"Thank you," he smiled a bit more. "I am sure Felina will wish to speak to you about her. If you have nothing else to add, you are dismissed. Report in for light duty with your next regular shift."

"Thank you, sir," Chance nodded, turning to leave along with Jake.

"You okay, buddy?" He asked him quietly once they were out of Feral's office.

"Yeah, it's just a little surreal yet," he said, noting how many folks recognized them and that they were back after a noticeable absence.

"What part of it?" Chance chuckled. "Remember, we've only been out for 19 days here."

"Just that we're home, after all that happened," Jake shook his head. "And trying to remember just how much changed for us, and not them."

"Yeah, there is that... at least part of what changed is that you can be around a Caracal without freaking," he pointed out.

"Yeah, and I can't say the promotion and awards weren't earned the hard way, even if they did come with a mark on your record," Jake agreed as they stepped into a lift that would take them to where the vehicle they'd taken into work over two weeks before would still be parked.

"And one that Feral will probably check on the truth of after this," Chance nodded slightly. "At least I hope so. Hate to bring the Commander's rep down, but... krud, he was such an ass."

"Even if he doesn't, it doesn't seem like he's inclined to care about it," Jake stretched upwards as they descended. "Planning on going out tonight?"

"Mmm ... depends," Chance admitted. "It'd be nice, but at the same time, so would a rest. See what we've got for messages?" He suggested. "Might make a difference."

"Yeah, we might have to placate Meg," Jake chuckled. "How'd she take our other disappearances?"

"This one's been the longest, if I remember right; she wasn't that worried before, but the only one that's been more than overnight was the trip to the Dark Ages," Chance pointed out.

"Four days is a lot less than nineteen," Jake agreed as they stepped out into the second parking level under the Tower. "Hopefully nobody tried to tell her we died and not just got lost on the other side of a time portal."

"Can't think of anybody who would. They might've suggested something happened on the other side, but...." Chance shrugged, pulling out his cellular phone and passing it to Jake. "Call the voicemail at the house? Or just call her cell, if you'd rather. I'll drive."

The lean tom nodded and began the menu and code dance involved in remotely retrieving their home voice mail and the computer's reports on unusual activity. They were almost home before he finally finished with a grateful sigh and dialed Meg's cellular phone number from memory.

"Chance?!?" Megan demanded by the second ring. "You're back?"

"It's Jake, and yes, we're back. He's driving."

"Where have you two been? Or... when... or... what happened?"

"PastMaster portal sent us to the middle of MegaWar II," Jake explained. "The nineteen days for you was a month and a half on the front lines for us. We've very happy to be home."

"Gods, I'll bet... you two want to rest and catch up then? Or should I try coming over for a celebratory dinner?" She offered.

Jake lowered the phone. "Dinner with her, or just head home?"

"Mmm ... your call, but we _definitely_ need to change first," Chance chuckled. "I'm good either way."

"Dinner in an hour?" Jake suggested to her.

"I'll be there... and I'll bring dinner," she reassured them, after a moment to think about the fact that they probably didn't have much there to cook with.

"Thanks," Jake said with real gratitude. "I'll try and have the house clear of rotting things by then."

"That would be a plus," Megan admitted, thinking about what nineteen days could do to a place. "See you in an hour."

"See you then," Jake said before the hung up. "So do you want to tackle the laundry or the fridge?"

"Ugh... think I'll go for the laundry, at least there shouldn't be _too_ much of that piled up, I don't think," Chance shuddered. "Might just burn the towels though," he quipped.

"They'll come out of your paycheck," Jake teased back, utterly failing at making a stern warning.

"Gee, I'm _so_ worried about buying replacements for a half-dozen towels we should've bought from the Dollar Store in the first place," Chance smirked as they pulled up into the parking garage under the apartment complex Jake owned the penthouse for. "Besides, you know as well as I do that by now fire's probably the only thing that _will_ kill them."

"Wimp," Jake teased him and got out of the heavy SUV that had more invisible after-market mods under it's glossy black, red and gold paint than the most dedicated tweaker could imagine. "The real hazmat is in the kitchen and you know it."

"Hey, _you_ gave me the choice," Chance teased, climbing out and following him in. "I'm just glad we've got good air filters in this place, or it'd really stink."

"No kidding," Jake groaned. "I can not _wait_ to get a good shower and soak in. It's been way too long."

"Maybe tonight, when we've got Meg over," Chance winked. "Or do you want to send her home, just spend the night together?"

"Let's see how it plays out," Jake decided as he palm-scanned access to the elevator. "I could go either way, really."

"Same here," Chance nodded. "We might've had a few threesomes recently already, but it's always fun," he purred lowly, groping Jake after they were on the elevator.

"That is it," Jake rumbled, pressing into the contact and claiming a heated kiss as he wrapped his arms around his mate's neck. "But so is a night at home with just you."

"Very true," Chance purred into the kiss, hugging Jake tightly. "Mmm ... maybe some time we can use the outfits we brought back with us for a little RP," he winked.

"I think I can manage that," Jake moaned, his body going lax and willing and completely without care when the door opened into the secure entry room to their home. "I've missed being home," he breathed in the scent of their home, and suddenly tensed and sniffed again. "I don't smell any rot or stale."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Chance pointed out.

"We've been gone for nineteen days," Jake slipped away, his body tense and his senses searching for what was going on. "The fruit on the counter should have rotted. The meat in the fridge. The air should be stale." He remained his partner as they began a cautious exploration of their home and found it in as good as condition as when a cleaning crew came through once a month. "They weren't scheduled to come, or deal with the food," he added with a frown when the refrigerator revealed it had been cleared of everything that would spoil.

A look in the freezer revealed the food that could be frozen had been vacuum-sealed and frozen.

Chance headed back, checking the laundry room.

"Laundry's done too... any thoughts?" He asked with a frown as he spotted that Jake had opened main computer's concealment wall and started bringing up surveillance footage.

"It is the regular crew, but not at the regular time," Jake scowled and began pulling up other information. "The system should have rejected their attempt to enter. I don't have it set so they can come whenever they want."

"Well, it's not like they can just override your security... and if they can, they're in the wrong line of work," Chance frowned, checking the rest of the house. "Somebody at work?"

"No way," Jake murmured in open shock. "There is no way ...."

"What?" Chance came over to look at what his partner was, though he couldn't make any sense of it.

"It ... it looks like Sara arranged it, and access," Jake stammered.

"Your AI down at the hangar?" Chance asked him incredulously.

"Yeah," he nodded, still trying to absorb the idea himself. "She has the technology, but it's nothing she's programmed to do."

"Uhm... Jake? She doesn't have a movie library that includes Demon Seed, does she?"

"Probably not," he shook his head. "It's more your taste in movies than mine. She's not organic on any level either, or have nearly that level of data. She was built to be my secretary/assistant/keeper. I guess I can see how doing this falls under her programming to take care of me. It's just ... I thought it was restricted to the hangar."

"Yeah... no offense, but I'll be keeping an eye out all the same," Chance said, shaking his head. "Well, this makes things easier, anyways - we've got most of an hour yet, why don't we go get changed?"

"At least I'm taking a real shower," Jake grinned at him as they walked to the master bedroom to get fresh clothes.

"Take yours first," Chance laughed, "or we'll still be in the middle of it when she gets here!"

* * *

Megan rang the buzzer at ground level, practically vibrating with excitement at knowing Jake and Chance were home. She'd been worried sick after the first few days. Knowing there was nothing she could do and no one she could pressure hadn't helped any.

"Come up," Jake's voice came a moment later with the buzz of the door being unlocked. "We're starving for modern food!"

"You'd better not mean burgers and fries," she called back up with a grin, before releasing the button and heading inside with two bags of hot take-out that filled the building's entry room with smells before getting concentrated by the elevator to the penthouse. The steak, seafood and fowl mixed in with pasta and sweet and sour sauce was enough to make her drool. The drive and the trip up were torture, but worth it when she stepped up and Chance greeted her with a warm hug.

"It's so good to see you," he rumbled before letting her go. "It's been a hell of a couple months."

"Mmm ... tell me about it," she purred, hugging him back before they walked inside the apartment. "Gods I've missed you two. Never been so happy to have to cancel a date," she smiled warmly, kissing Chance on the cheek, then Jake when he came out to take the bags of food.

"With anyone we know?" Jake asked with a chuckle as he put the food out on the table he'd set earlier.

"Uhm... yes," she giggled, glancing at Chance. "I found that out tonight... did Jake ever get you to check your email?" She asked as she took a seat.

"I haven't gotten time for that," Jake shook his head. "Life's been just a little crazy ... I only got a chance today to ask Kip about joining us for 'vacation' as Chance puts it."

"You might want to just forward the message marked 'cute tabby chick' to Jake, instead of reading it then," she blushed. "And what did he say?" She asked Jake.

"Hold it, hold it," Chance grinned. "You know I've got to ask...."

"You'll find out," she giggled, helping serve the food.

"I _can_ just go check it now," he pointed out.

"Then go ahead," she blushed deeper. "But she didn't want me to tell you, when I talked to her earlier. I think she liked the idea of you finding out by surprise."

"This has got to be good," Chance chuckled, getting to his feet and heading out to get his laptop. "Should I do it in there?" He called back.

"Hoo boy," Megan said, resting her head on the table. "Your call, Jake."

"Come on out," he grinned at his partner with a wicked gleam in his eyes as he began to serve the food. "After what we have done, I have to see what'll make her blush."

"It's not what I _sent_ , it's who I sent it _to_!" She protested as Chance brought out the laptop and booted it up.

"Well, if it's my mother, at least I'll be able to scream without anybody outside getting worried," Chance smirked, loading up his email and skipping ahead to the message she'd mentioned, loading it up. His jaw dropped when he saw the pictures.

"You're kidding me."

"Who?" Jake scooted around to check out the picture of a broadly built chocolate on gold tabby shekat snuggling with Megan.

"My kid sister," Chance told him.

"I didn't know until tonight!" Megan told him. "I wouldn't have sent those to you if I'd known!"

"No, but she'd have let you if you did," Chance said, shaking his head. "Kid's probably laughing her ass off right now."

"For what it's worth, she _did_ ask me to give you her number," Megan told him. "She wants you to call her, when you get the chance - she wants to make good, she said."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "This'll be an interesting meeting," he said as he took his seat. "How long has it been?"

"Since graduation, really," Chance admitted. "She tell you if it's the rest of the family too?"

"I don't know," Megan admitted. "But it's worth a chance," she pointed out.

"Yeah, it is," Chance nodded slightly. "But I'm not going to go into that one hiding anything," he said, looking at Jake seriously.

"No problem," Jake said firmly. "I've got a lot less to lose than you, and I've never hidden what I am. Whoever you want to know, is welcome to know."

"All right," Chance nodded. "I'll just be talking to the family about it, I think... I'd like you to come with me, if I meet with them."

"I will," he promised. "Somehow I expect Bastet's Day with my kin will be more fun," he chuckled weakly.

"I'm quite sure," Chance agreed.

"So now that that's sorted out, what have you two been up to?" Megan asked as they all began to eat.

"Oh, you know - saving the lives of people who've been dead for decades, meeting war heroes and finding out they think _we're_ the heroes, watching the Commander's paradigm shift without a clutch - the usual," Chance said wryly.

"Oh?" it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "What happened with _him_?"

"One Captain Steele caught us with our pants down... not literally, but close enough for everybody back then. They don't include the fact that the Commander was a raging homophobe in the history books, y'know? I read him the riot act. Then he assaulted me, I fought back, I won, I got tossed in the brig for a few days until he decided to ship us off to Traveris to train snipers there. From there... things got ugly, a few times," he admitted even as he realize Megan had stopped really listening to him once he said 'Traveris'.

Her full attention was on Jake.

"It was better than my last trip," he assured her quietly. "Better treatment than the week and some before that too. I missed the really bad missions for Traveris."

"Jake?" she spoke softly and reached out to touch his arm.

"I'm fine," he shook his head even as he promised her. "Honest. That photo was taken because we basically didn't get to sleep for a week, unless it was in the air or while we refueled. That was the bad part for me. Chance ..." he glanced up at his partner. "His bad missions came later."

"I got stuck razing the Lothos/Traveris border," Chance explained. "It was rough, but I'll talk it over with the Enforcer therapist - you deserve to get paid for it, if you're listening to it," he chuckled weakly.

"Chance, I'm your _friend_ ," Megan pointed out. "I know what you mean, but remember that. I know how much you _love_ talking to shrinks," she told him with a slight smile.

"Thanks, but I'll be under orders to do it for a while, so maybe later," Chance smiled back. "C'mon, we're focusing on the rough patches - Jake actually found out that he enjoys topping more than he thought while he was there. With guys," he added.

"Well, now, this could be fun," she purred as Jake blushed and ducked his head.

"And we found a wine that is as hot as blue heat, without the nasty side effects," Jake shifted the focus a bit. "And Chance got to find out what it's like to give in to a heat fully."

"Mixed good and bad story there, but the short version is that I want to find out if I've got grandkits over there somewhere, if I can."

"I can find out about any girls, but if it's sons, it's nearly impossible without a lot more resources than I can ask for," Jake added. "They tend not to track who the sire is."

"And it's not _that_ big a deal," Chance reassured him. "I'd like to know, but it's not worth busting your tail for it, y'know? Even if there were any, it's not like I'm likely to ever meet them."

"Traveris doesn't have serious problems with half-breeds, right?" Megan asked him. "I didn't look into that part of things."

"Normally, they'd be killed when born or aborted, but since we were guests of the Queen and considered warrior toms, and the mother was a noble and came to us, it's quite possible they wouldn't be, but they'd still have to survive to maturity. Even here the mortality rate was pretty high in that time," Jake said. "It's _possible_ the girl is still alive. If she is, she'll know who all her descendants are."

"Well, we know a name, so that won't necessarily be _too_ hard to find out," Chance mused.

"No, it won't be," Jake agreed. "So what's been going on here while we've been gone?"

"Not too much," she explained. "Past Master got away that first time, and you got him when he made another attempt today - good timing there. Viper tried to mutate the Mayor and Deputy Mayor last week, but he didn't count on Callie having the sense not to drink the bubbling green liquid," she chuckled lowly. "Not his brightest moment ever."

Jake could only roll his eyes. "Did the Mayor, or did she stop him first?"

"She stopped him, but in his defense, he hadn't bothered to look at it - speech on television, somebody came out wearing a hat and carrying drinks, things went downhill from there for Viper," she chuckled. "Like I said - not his brightest moment."

"But possibly one of the funnier," Chance chuckled deeply.

"I might just have to look up the footage on that one," Jake grinned. "Sounds like a couple Enforcers got to have fun. Was he captured?"

"He was for a while, but he escaped... I don't really know the details," she shrugged. "He'll be back soon enough, I'm sure. Sounds like you two managed to have fun in the past... any of it going to carry into your current records?"

"All of it, apparently," Chance said. "Kind of hoping we can get an advance look at our next two or three trips from looking back in the records and seeing what we did - ought to be easy to pick them out."

"If they're declassified before we go," Jake said, shaking his head. "I'd be surprised if he adds anything we didn't do to our records."

"That is the question," Chance admitted. "It's a little weird - apparently we'd been there twice before already."

"The joy of time travel," Jake nodded. "Though at least they seemed to expect that we'd show up at some point clueless about it. It seems like we got along pretty well the first two rounds, though I can't imagine how at this point."

"We got back just as the war was getting _really_ rough," Chance pointed out. "If we spent most of our first two trips helping with bringing their tactics and training out of the non-mechanized era, we wouldn't have had the same sort of run-ins with them."

"True," Jake mused between bites. "It really only happened because we didn't get any credible sleep that week. An easier schedule would make it a lot easier to keep them from seeing what they shouldn't see."

"Sounds like it might have been for the best," Megan hazarded. "You seem to have come out stronger partners, and it took you off that kind of schedule ... right?"

"It did," Jake nodded, then blinked and ducked his head a bit. "We kind of made it mates, not just lovers, in there. Probably wouldn't have happened so soon without Vidon's freakout."

"I think we'd already done it, we just hadn't mentioned it to each other yet," Chance smiled, leaning over and kissing Jake's cheek lightly as he ate.

"Well, yeah, it was kinda obvious once he pointed it out," Jake purred softly and smiled.

"Well, congratulations," Megan smiled warmly. "I'm glad you two finally figured it out," she winked. "I assume this won't get in the way of either of you playing around yet?" She teased.

"Not at all," Jake grinned at her. "We're still on, and I talked to Kip. He's going to try and get the time off."

"Excellent," she purred. "You know if he's sterile, or going to be using protection?"

"Sounded like he was sterile," Chance piped up. "And I _definitely_ want pictures of that week," he added with a grin.

"He said he'll bring the doctor's cert that he was," Jake nodded. "It's not the first time he's been asked. And I was thinking more of HD movies," Jake winked at his partner. "I really wish you could be there, but I so seriously doubt you're shooting blanks."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Chance chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be able to entertain myself," he winked. "If nothing else, I can always fantasize about a certain female pilot."

"Oh really? Who?" Megan asked with a grin. "And why not invite her over, instead of fantasizing? My tabby bashful?" She winked.

"She's from the past," Jake smiled softly. "Agetha Feral, right?"

"Yep," Chance admitted. "I might find a date too, but for now she's just a nice daydream."

"Any of your other heroes end up in your bed?" Megan grinned more broadly.

"No, as far as I know the Manx is straight," Chance said dryly. "And besides, knowing his grandson...."

"...Okay, I think I need to go blow my brains out now," Megan shuddered.

"That's one thing we made a point of _not_ bringing up to him," Jake nodded. "Greg is the real thing though. There aren't many people who can keep up with me in aeronautical tech talk."

"He _can_?" She asked him incredulously. "He's got over a century of missing bits and pieces in the conversation though, how _could_ he keep up? They were still using prop's!"

"I didn't go into our bleeding edge," Jake rolled his eyes. "But he caught on damn fast to things that were just beyond his bleeding edge, and he _is_ brilliant. I'm sure he's known only as a top fighter pilot because he didn't survive the war to build what he thought of and understood. I may have done a lot of design work on that fighter-bomber of his, but he did a lot too."

"That makes more sense," she nodded. "I don't really know that much about aerotech," she admitted. "I'd thought you were talking about jets and stuff."

"He could handle them," Chance said seriously. "He'd have survived the war if they'd developed the engineering techniques to make his designs."

"I'm sure he could have, and would have," Jake agreed. "The guy is just amazing."

"I'm not sure who has the bigger crush on him," Megan couldn't help but snicker. "It's so cute when you two like somebody."

"And if you met him, you'd have just as big a crush," Chance teased. "He's handsome on top of it all. Just a few decades too early for his own good."

"I've seen the pictures," Megan grinned at him. "But if he was born later you'd have competition for the top pilot," she teased.

"Yeah, but it'd be a blast to compete," Chance winked. "Competition's a good thing, keeps you on your toes. Jake's actually doing a pretty decent job of it too," he chuckled. "Pretty damn decent shot, when the targets don't cheat."

"Having the bullet vaporized does not discount the shot," Jake countered. "You wouldn't have done any better."

"Mage came through the wall at us - that's all I meant, he didn't have the chance to get the shot off first. Took out plenty of other targets trying to get at us though, while I was figuring out a Lothosian forklift."

"Same thing happened when we fought the Red Lynx back then," Jake added. "He had a mage-gunner. I'm really starting to hate mages."

"Pity you can't pick up a few tricks of your own before you head back," she mused. "Guess you'll just have to carry anti-Omega gear?"

"Pretty much," Chance nodded, relishing the take out on a level he rarely did.

"It takes talent to learn magic," Jake shook his head. "Either you can or you can't. I know I can't. I can use some items, but not spells."

"Which leaves us packing the stranger missiles," Chance nodded. "Lemme tell you, having a mage doesn't necessarily help much if they're not a gunner too. I flew a few missions like that, and it just didn't help against the Lynx, not for anything more than keeping us alive."

"You didn't fly together all the time?" she blinked.

"The missions for Traveris were mostly Chance and a local mage," Jake explained. "They're good for doing damage, not so much when you're actually challenged."

"And one of us had to stay behind to keep training the troops," Chance pointed out. "When we were flying for MKC, we were together," he promised her.

"And some of the time for Traveris," Jake added. "Like when we had to make a supply raid Taldan Lake. A lot of it's a blur, honestly, between lack of sleep and constant action. They made damn good use of having the Black Sun around."

"I bet," she nodded. "Did you have any fun while you were then?"

"A few times," Jake ducked his head. "Especially ... where was the fox-kat show?"

"Ooooh yeah," Chance grinned. "Almost forgot about them for a bit there. The 'Seductive Siang Sisters' - group of Fox-Kat's along the border between Lothos and Xenquii Empire."

"Yeah, one of them was in heat and invited us up on stage," Jake purred deeply at the memory. "I don't think anyone regretted chipping in a dollar for the fee."

"Wasn't in full heat," Chance added quickly. "But yeah, it was a total blast, especially once my nose kicked in. Apparently the Kantin in there means I don't completely lose it. Interesting thing is that it seems the whole family is hybrids."

"Think I've heard of them," Megan said, finishing off her dinner. "They've got a branch of the family that immigrated back when I was in school, they were popular with my classmates."

"Any of them with stripes?" Jake asked, mostly teasing.

"Mmm... maybe, it's been a while," Megan admitted. "I think one of them did, but they were a little faint. I think they still have a show going on though, maybe we can visit it some time," she purred.

"If it's anything like the last one, oh _yeah_ ," Jake voted for it with a grin. "That was a blast."

"Mmm ... maybe an anniversary after you've finished helping Meg through her heat," Chance grinned. "I'll check it out in advance, just to see," he winked.

"Well, we know where _he'll_ be for the week," Megan snickered.

"Can't blame him," Jake chuckled. "After all, he knows what I'll be up to, and he'll be grounded. Boy's got to have something to look forward to."

"True enough. So tell me about Agetha," Megan shifted topics as they all finished eating and the adrenaline of relief finally finished settling out fully with full bellies and familiar faces. "What earned her a crush from my favorite tabby?"

"Besides lasting long enough to tire _him_ out," Jake snickered.

"She's an incredible woman," Chance smirked, sticking his tongue out at Jake. "Tough, smart... think she actually wants to come forward, or at least did, but that'll be tricky to arrange. She suffered more from being born early than the Manx did by far - he just didn't have the tech to really show off, she didn't have the opportunities she needed to really show what she could do."

"She was a civilian pilot, fought over Quartermass, and earned enough respect from the other pilots that no one hassled her for wearing a pilot's uniform to the officer's club," Jake added.

"All of it while her family tried to get her to 'come to her senses' and settle down with some rich tom, get off the lines of the war," Chance concluded with a nod. "You don't find grit like that too often, even when you're talking about the current crop of Ferals. Felina's close, but she's got some history there."

"And a lot less resistance," Megan agreed. "Felina got to benefit from women's lib. Sounds like Agetha could have been one of their stars, if her family hadn't interfered. A female fighter pilot, respected by her peers," she shook her head in amazement. "That's something else."

"Well... that's where things get awkward," Chance explained. "She was shot down late in the war, her body was never found. So she didn't really have the chance ... but nobody knows why."

"You're hoping it was because you brought her forward," Megan didn't really have to guess. "Maybe you'll get the chance."

"That transparent, huh?" Chance asked sheepishly. "Be hard for her to set up a new life, but it beats not having the chance to... and she's looking forward to the idea, from what she said."

"Without knowing she'd never see the end of the war in her time," Jake added. "Yeah, she's one of these we'd bring forward if we get the chance, especially knowing no one really knows what happed to her."

"Unlike the Blue Manx," Megan nodded. "Who knows, you might get the opportunity. You two do more time traveling than any six pilots on the force."

"Yeah, lucky us," Jake rolled his eyes.

"I think it's because you can handle it," Megan smiled at him, earning a bit of a blush. "After all, how many other teams could modify their jets to fly off of volcanic gas?"

"According to the maintenance crew, not even Jake," Chance snickered. "They were royally pissed about that one. At least this was just regular diesel... not good for the engine, but tolerable."

"Yeah, I know at least a dozen mechanics who are grateful beyond words that I was impressed with Kip enough to ask for him as my primary. He should be a couple hours into learning why by now," Jake snickered.

"Who _is_ Kip?" Megan asked him curiously, taking the opening to learn about the other guy that Jake had invited to her heat. "And how'd he impress you that quickly?" She added.

"He's a Wolf-Tiger mix, endowed with the best of both breeds," Jake chuckled a bit. "He's not as creative as I am, but he can _follow_ the bleeding edge conversation and ask intelligent questions. He knows a lot about the industry too, at least the declassified and Enforcer parts."

"Not much of a designer, but a _damn_ good mechanic," Chance summed it up. "He's the first guy Jake's ever _invited_ to work on the Black Sun, and the main reason I got him to come home tonight without a scuffle about it."

"So he's the guy who'll be joining us?" Megan asked with a purr. "He'd better have more on his mind than talking shop."

"He knows what it's for," Jake promised. "He'll keep you well-entertained after I'm worn out."

"Good," she rumbled. "Mmm... anything else you two want to talk about tonight?" She asked them. "Not sure how much of this is 'talk about it another night, when you're not trying to be cheerful,' material," she admitted.

"And grateful for a meal we didn't have to scrounge up from what little is left in the house," Jake added. "I think we're both still working on accepting everything that did happen. We haven't had much time to breath lately."

"Fair enough," she smiled. "Why don't I head back home, give your sister a call and let her know you're both okay? I think you two need some you-time."

Jake gave her a look of pure gratitude and she knew she'd read him right. He probably wouldn't have turned her away, but he _wanted_ quiet time with his new mate and his home and no expectations of him until he woke up.

"Sounds good," Chance smiled warmly and leaned over to kiss her cheek before they stood and he gave her a warm hug. "I will call her. How much does she already know?"

"She's reasonably sure you and Jake are sleeping together part-time at least, but I don't know how she feels about it," Megan admitted, hugging him back. "But she didn't sound particularly upset... I think she's starting to realize there's a double-standard going."

"Maybe she started thinking for herself after she got out of the house?" Jake suggested, hugging Megan and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Here's hoping," she smiled, kissing him back lightly. "Give me a call when if you want to go out some time... or if you just want me to bring over dinner again," she winked, heading for the door, swishing her tail behind her.

"Hell of a friend, isn't she?" Chance smiled when she started down. "Think I'm glad she never became my therapist."

"That she is," Jake agreed before sliding his arms around his mate with a relieved sigh, letting tension flow from his body. "Right now, I just want to relax in my home and get used to the idea we're back."

"Mmm... bed?" Chance suggested, pressing against Jake with a happy purr before they turned to walk to the master bedroom and their first night in their own bed in far too long.


	20. Gift of Fantasy

"I have a surprise set up for you," Chance purred deeply, excited by the prospect of watching his mate have the most intense fantasy he'd talk about happen in real life. He turned their large black SUV on and glanced sideways to see how the target reacted.

"Why do I think I'll be walking funny all weekend?" Jake grinned and laughed easily. "What is it?"

"A surprise," the tabby resisted the urge to tell him as he packed out of their parking spot under Enforcer HQ. "You'll like it though."

He drove off, towards the rougher parts of town, the warehouse districts near the harbor. Signs of the run-down nature of the area were everywhere; graffiti, fires burning in barrels, the occasional cop or bum. Chance angled towards one of the outer warehouses, in better shape than most, well-lit on the outside and apparently secure.

"What in the world is out here?" Jake scowled, his attention too much on the nature of the area and how badly it set off his nerves, though he did relax a bit with the apparent state of their destination.

"Privacy," Chance pointed out, driving up to the warehouse. A lone Wolf came out, running the gate back for them when he saw who it was. "Place used to be a warehouse for the Mange's, but we cleared them out back in the old days. Now it's an Enforcer office supply warehouse, but if you know the right people you can get somebody to 'drop' the keys where you can pick them up."

Jake looked around, taking it all in and wondering what the hell his mate had in mind. He got out when Chance did, taking cues from his partner as they walked into the warehouse full of rows of boxes and wide allies between them.

"Whatever happens, you can stop it the usual way," Chance told him as they walked along. "Promise. Just say the word, and it's over - I'll make sure of it."

"Okay," Jake gave him a curious look before it sunk in and his eyes went wide. Half a heartbeat later he felt the sharp jab of a dart in his back as it punched a small hole into his lung to deposit it's load. "Chance...." he gasped as his partner disappeared. He was already feeling the effects of the drugs when he twisted to face his opponent.

Part of him knew this setup was for him, but everything in him made him want to fight as a half dozen large male Wolves came out of the shadows to surround him. He vaguely recognized a couple as Enforcers from passing in the halls, but no one he knew the name. Thanks to the sedative, the dogpile was effectively over with and his arms were bound behind him and his knees and ankles tried together almost before it started, though he got a couple good kicks and punches off.

"I knew you liked it rough, but I never thought you wanted it this rough," Kip's voice oozed desire as the half-breed walked out of the shadows now that their pray was subdued by better fighters.

"Fuck you," Jake snarled, still struggling despite the hard-on visible in his pants and the arousal in his scent.

"I was about to say the same thing," Kip grinned, taking a ring gag from a Hyena male who came out. "Open wide, pretty kitty," he rumbled, shifting so he was straddling Jake's back, rubbing his own bulging crotch against the tom.

Jake closed his mouth and growled, but it didn't help when one of the pure-bred Wolves, a nearly black male, grabbed his scruff and pulled back while his fingers pressed against the hinge of Jake's jaw on both sides.

Kip fixed the gag into place just behind Jake's fangs, then pulled out a combat knife and started cutting Jake's clothes off of him. He was glad Chance had warned him not to wear anything he'd mind losing... he just hoped the tabby had a spare change for him for afterwards!

"Well, aren't _we_ a naughty boy?" Kip taunted him, running the side of the blade along his hard-on.

Jake couldn't help the quick breath of raw desire as he squirmed, his eyes wide and fixated on the blade.

"Think you're scarin' him, Kip," one of the Wolves grinned.

"Nah - he likes it," Kip smirked, flipping the knife in his hand and running the tip up Jake's belly. "Don't you, kitty?" He asked, the knife touching Jake's skin with just little enough pressure that it wouldn't cut. "Strip down, guys," he told the other Kantin with him. "And line up," he grinned wickedly.

Jake couldn't do more than squirm and growl ineffectively, especially given how his body was reacting. All of a sudden he was on his back, the placement of his arms forcing his back to arch upwards and put his ass on the floor.

He screamed when Kip thrust into him up to his sheath in a single motion without warning or prep. His body clamped down around the intruder, and the next sound that escaped his throat was a deep moan.

The Hyena stifled the next moan, sinking his throbbing cock into Jake's mouth with a groan, leaning forward to kiss Kip as they both fucked the tom between them. A couple of the other Wolves didn't want to wait and began to jerk off above the bound tom, all five in a race to see who'd get off first or hardest.

Chance watched from a place well off from the scene, where Jake could see him if he wanted to, and where he could see _everything_. He was half-tempted to go join in the play himself - he was sure he'd be welcome to - but he'd set this up for Jake. Instead, he jerked off, watching the Wolves as they played with his mate and each other. When the Hyena came with a series of yelping, laughing barks, he pulled out of Jake's mouth, following his seed with a vial of Blue Heat.

Tonight was going to be a blast, once the Kantin were done with him - he was sure Jake would be at his subbiest, utterly exhausted, and still eager to get pegged until Chance's balls were as dry as his.

The video of it from three different angles was going to be the prize though. A high definition record of Jake's hottest fantasy come true and probably the most the tom would come in one night this year.

As hot as it was to watch his partner and mate get off so completely and the gay orgy, Chance took it easy on himself. He wanted to have plenty left for when the Kantin had tired themselves out and turned Jake back over.

Kip howled as he came in Jake's ass, not tied with him yet. One of the other Wolves who hadn't had a chance at Jake yet stood expectantly, waiting for him to move, then growled when Kip started thrusting again. The hybrid turned on him with a snarl, and Chance's ears perked up. He leaned up in his seat as the new guy snarled back, and almost got out of his seat when Kip snapped at him, nipping his muzzle. The Wolf backed off, shocked, but his ears flat and tail between his legs as Kip turned his attention back to Jake, thrusting hard until he tied Jake's ass, waiting until he'd howled with his second orgasm to rip his knot out of the lean tom and back off to let the others have a turn.

The exchange kept Chance focused on the hybrid and away from the action for a bit while he assessed just what had happened. Kip, just by his heritage, should have been the gamma of any group his was in, organizer or not. Even Chance knew enough about Wolf culture to realize just how inappropriate growling at a full blooded Wolf, much less snapping at him, was.

Really, the Wolf would have been within his rights to literally rip Kip away and tear into him for such behavior.

So what couldn't he see that scared the Wolf into backing off?

Of course, the Wolf hadn't been an Enforcer... maybe he was afraid that the others who were would've backed Kip if it had turned into a fight?

He'd have to look into Kip's background more... maybe there was something about him that neither of them knew yet. Given the time he'd grown up in, he was probably a fairly decent scrapper when he had to be, but that didn't seem like enough.

With things settled and Kip among the pack again, Chance pushed it to the back of his mind to enjoy the show and keep an eye on how much Jake was enjoying it. Despite the squirming and growls and other obvious signs of struggle, their years together made it clear as day just how much his partner was getting off on the situation.

It was impossibly hot to watch.

Finally, after hours of fucking Jake and a few rounds among the Wolves themselves, the Kantin were visibly starting to get tired. Kip, on his sixth round, howled his last orgasm and pulled out, panting hard, wagging his striped wolfish tail before he leaned forward and gave Jake a kiss.

"Seeya at work," he rumbled lowly, tossing a key onto the concrete a few feet away from the exhausted tom, the pack dressing and heading out of the warehouse.

For his part, Jake made no effort to move yet. He lay where he'd been left, covered in the seed of a dozen guys with more dripping from his mouth and ass, his ass stretched as it rarely was, looking for all the world like the victim of one of the more vicious gang raps in recent history.

Yet Chance knew he'd enjoyed every second of it, even the part that had made him yelp or scream.

Chance came out of his hiding place, not bothering to zip up his pants, his hard-on clearly visible.

"Want me to untie you?" He asked Jake when he reached him, picking up the key.

"Uuck re," he rumbled, only about half conscious but with it enough to look up at his partner with recognition.

"Good," Chance purred, rolling Jake over so he could get at the tom's ass more easily, sinking his cock into the well-used ass with a groan. "Mmm ... fuck, you're a dirty little slut tonight," he grinned, leaning forward and biting down on Jake's scruff.

"You loved it," Jake moaned, his body responding despite the number of times he'd already come.

"You did too," Chance purred, undoing the gag so Jake could speak more freely. "Mmm ... you'll love the video," he grinned, starting to pick up the pace of his thrusts. "Your ass is dripping," he rumbled hotly.

"Stomach's full too," Jake moaned, pressing back and trying to milk his mate's cock despite how tired his body was.

"Mmm ... yeah, but did you ever enjoy dinner out this much?" Chance grinned, starting to really pound Jake's ass, the cum in it squelching out along his shaft, lubricating Jake more than they ever really bothered with.

"No," Jake shuddered, whimpering at his drug-induced arousal was pushed higher by his mate.

Chance undid the cuffs on Jake's hands and feet, letting the tom get onto his knees properly so he could really go to town. Before long, seed was dripping down his ass and thighs, Chance's balls slapping against his with every powerful thrust.

All Jake could do was try to claw a grip in the cement floor and whimper, his body forced to another peak it couldn't really handle and he had no desire to resist. It felt too damn good, and the knowledge of who was inside him made it all the better.

Whimpers, moans and growls filled the air as the pair mated, until Jake roared, his body and cock jerking as he came hard despite having been dry for a couple hours already.

Chance roared with him, filling his ass again before he pulled out, wiping himself clean on a relatively dry spot of Jake's cum-soaked fur.

"Mmm ... want to go home and soak for a bit?" He offered, purring deeply as he helped his mate stand and took most of Jake's weight.

"Cleanup?" Jake mumbled, coherent enough to realize the kind of scene he'd created.

"Being taken care of, as well as the delivery of the cameras," Chance assured him with a sloppy kiss.

"Good," Jake said and tried to take a step only to have his body give out on him.

"C'mon," Chance chuckled, picking Jake up and kissing him gently. "Let's get home. Love you," he smiled, taking him out to the SUV.

"Love you," Jake murmured, quite willing to let go of his hold on consciousness now that he was safe in his mate's arms.


	21. Bastet's Day with the Clawsons

"Hey Chance!" Jake called from the living room as he walked towards the master bedroom where Chance was packing for the two-night stay with Jake's folks. "I got news on your kittens."

"Good, bad, or indifferent?" Chance asked as he closed a suitcase with his clothes in it.

"Depends on what you were hoping for, but the short version is that none of that litter survived to breeding age," Jake said as he walked in to finish packing a small duffel bag of his own.

"Kind of what I expected - any indication if it was intentional or just attrition?" He asked.

"Being a hero, actually. According to their mother, who's still alive, only one of the three showed sign of being yours, a healthy boy with dark stripes and almost too big for her to deliver," Jake said as he did a final check for anything to bring. "She was raising him as a warrior tom, since he was a fighter from before he was born. He died on a hunting trip when he was nine with a stunt that is all you," he smiled fondly at his partner. "He charged a lion -- the animal kind -- when a small pride of them attacked the party after they made a kill. She credits him with the rest of the family getting away. The girl never quite suckled well and died within the first month, the other boy took sick when he was three."

"Good to hear," Chance smiled. "I'm assuming she's not at all interested in meeting me, or at least hoping for it," he chuckled, looking around the room. "Anything else we'll need for visiting your family?"

"I don't think so," Jake said as he picked up his duffle bag. "Nothing was mentioned about meeting you, so it didn't come up. She might not have even know it was us asking about it."

"It _would_ be pretty odd, from her end," Chance nodded. "Thanks for looking into it," he said, kissing Jake's cheek and picking up his suitcase. "Gifts are already packed, right?" He checked.

"Of course," Jake winked and gave his ass a playful squeeze before they headed to the elevator to the garage level. "They're in the back of the car. This is one of those days I'm glad I don't come from a big family."

"Almost enough to make me glad I'm estranged," Chance agreed. "Especially once the kits get factored in. My older sister and her litter isn't too bad, but once you work in the kits and my cousin's kits, it can get expensive, even if you go cheap for each one."

"I bet," Jake agreed, relaxing against the wall as they rode down. "Mine's just a sister, mother and grandmother, maybe a couple aunts or uncles, but they aren't expected this year."

"No nieces and nephews, huh?" Chance nodded slightly. "Yeah, that's not too bad really. Family pretty spread out?"

"A few, but we're just not breeders," Jake shrugged. "My mother's older brother thinks that the same combination of genes that causes most of us to be brilliant and gifted also results in small litters and limited fertility. Most do have a kit by my age, a second between fifty and sixty, but that's about it. You go four levels out from me ... grandma's sister's son's daughter's son ... before you even get two kits in a litter, and we think it's because he hooked up with a shekat from a family that produces large litters."

"Not a Furlong, I hope?" Chance chuckled, stepping out as they reached the ground level. "It'd be a real panic for the school system if it was."

"Not by name, but I didn't ask," Jake chuckled in reply as they walked to their large SUV. "I'm not entirely sure I've actually met him in person. I know gossip about more of my kin than I know in person."

"Suppose it makes sense," Chance nodded slightly, loading his suitcase into the back before heading up to the driver's seat. "Your sister married?"

"Nah," Jake shook his head as they buckled up. "Last I heard she's not even dating anyone seriously. She's taking life a lot easier than most Clawsons, but that's not saying a lot when I'm your sibling and mom's a lead rocket scientist at MASA."

"Mmm ... given how much you throw yourself into _everything_ you do, you're right there," Chance grinned as they pulled out into the light rain of an early spring day. "Hopefully traffic's on our side today. Never as much fun driving when the weather's like this."

"You don't blink about flying in thunderstorms, and grumble about driving in a drizzle?" Jake snickered with a teasing wink. "Seriously, it should be okay. We both live in nicer neighborhoods."

"When we're flying, we can get up above it," Chance smirked. "I don't _like_ flying in storms either," he pointed out as the GPS planned out their route. "Anything I should know before meeting your folks?"

"Play up how damn good a pilot you are," Jake said seriously. "Play up anything you think you're damn good at, have some kind of proof of and are willing to talk about. What's bragging most places is a statement of fact around my folks. You know what I've done, mom's one of MASA's top scientists, Grandma is a gifted artist, a great-uncle invented the combustion engine, an uncle was on the team that produced the first production jet design, a great-aunt was a director of the sufferance movement, one of my cousins is a world-expect in meteorology ... you're gift for shooting and flying puts you on par with my kin. Don't downplay it."

"How do they feel about soldiers?" Chance asked him. "Don't want to play up certain parts of it with some audiences," he pointed out.

"I can't say it was much of a topic, but I got a lot of approval for going into the Enforcers, and enough respect that I still feel bad that I wasn't allowed to join the war effort directly," Jake said softly. "I can't imagine it's a bad thing."

"Y'know Jake, if you _had_ joined the war effort directly, there's a good chance I wouldn't be alive right now," Chance pointed out. "The new gear saved a lot of lives. So, good to know that there shouldn't be any awkward silences about it... how much do they know about us?"

"I know, I know," he sighed. "It doesn't change that part of me feels guilty that I was excluded when so many bright young toms got drafted. It's not about logic. As for how much they know ... I expect all three think we're at least occasional lovers if you have any capacity for it. I never hid my preferences, especially after Traveris. As far as mom's concerned, it's a perfect scenario. I haven't actually _told_ them though. Hell, I've only spoken with mom once since we got back and that was to make sure we were still coming for the holiday."

"And how long had it been before that?" Chance chuckled. "Need to know if I should duck when you open the door," he winked.

"Three days," Jake laughed. "And don't duck, you'll get a face full of boobs. My family is very ... huggy. Expect three generations of Clawson shekats to claim at least one."

"No wonder you turned out so warped - an affectionate family? Just imagine it," Chance deadpanned, reaching over to scratch Jake's neck lightly at a stoplight. "I think I'll handle it. And I'll even behave and not flirt with your sister," he winked.

"Bet's she won't return the favor," Jake chuckled, leaning into the touch. "But probably our usual rules should work; we don't bring it up, but don't deny it either."

"Works for me," Chance nodded. "Jake... you aren't upset about lying to the Commander about it, are you?" He asked him seriously.

"No," he shook his head. "Concerned it could come back to bite you, but not upset."

"Lying to the Commander's going to be the least of my concerns if he figures it out," Chance pointed out. "Besides, it still doesn't justify what Vidon tried to do."

"Agreed," Jake gave him a funny look. "But what gets worse than perjury to the Commander?"

"Jake, if Feral _is_ a supporter, he'll understand entirely why I didn't want to admit to us being actual lovers, and won't bring charges up about it," Chance pointed out. "If he isn't? He's probably still not going to bring charges up. He'll just make both our lives a living Hell. He knows as well as we do that trying to give us a dishonorable discharge on those grounds, especially if he tries to stick jail time on it, is just going to create a pair of martyrs for the pro side. It's all politics in the end."

"I guess," he murmured. "Politics never was my strong suit. Manipulating bureaucracy, yes. Politics, not so much."

"Bureaucracy doesn't count for much when you're dealing with this sort of thing," Chance said, shaking his head a bit. "It'd be Feral's prerogative to press charges, and he'd have to consider the fact that he'd be proving my point by doing anything because of that. If a male pilot who was sleeping with his _female_ gunner lied to a superior about it, would they _ever_ press charges?" Chance pointed out.

"I can't imagine they would," Jake admitted. "Well, Vidon might, he's psycho enough, but he never had females in a flight crew to think about."

"No, he pretty much lived and died with the Megawar," Chance nodded. "Well, like you said, they wouldn't bother if it was a guy and a girl. If it's two guys, prosecuting proves the point that we just lied to protect ourselves from discrimination... which proves that there _is_ discrimination. And when you tack that onto two of your most highly decorated officers, for their years of service? Who've got the sort of support we'd _probably_ still have _on_ the force? By the time we were done spinning it, if he was lucky he'd get away with protests outside the courthouse and HQ. If he wasn't, he'd have every gay or bi Enforcer tom on those protest lines."

"Here's hoping he's on our side," Jake reached over to squeeze the tabby's thick leg. "I don't think he has much of a rep for being anti-gay."

"Not that I've ever heard of," Chance agreed, reaching down with one hand to squeeze Jake's. "But at any rate, it shouldn't be coming up unless something really fucked up happens. Not like anybody's going to keep us from seeing each other."

"Or from you flying top-notch birds for as long as you want to," Jake promised with the kind of steel in his voice that few things earned. "I can walk into just about any aircraft company and name my price, and all of them are looking for test pilots."

"You keep saying that like it's gonna be necessary, and some day it might be," Chance chuckled lowly. "Let's just get to your folks' place and find something happier to chat about," he suggested.

"All right," he leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Last I checked the guest room had two beds. So we'll be in the same room, but it's not proof we're sleeping together."

"Mmm ... will we be?" Chance asked him, purring lowly. "I understand if we won't be."

"I'm planning on it," Jake smiled a little seductively as his fingers brushed along Chance's sheath. "We'll have to be reasonably quiet, but that's all."

"Ooh, a challenge," Chance purred. "Maybe take a note out of Kip's playbook and gag you," he winked.

"You're the one that roars," Jake countered with a grin and a wink. "I tend to moan and whimper."

"So I guess you'll just need to wrestle _me_ down and gag me," Chance grinned back. "Think you'll be up to it?"

"I think I can manage that," Jake rumbled, his scent taking on a hint of arousal before he backed off. "I think we need a new topic or mom's not going to have to guess."

"Probably for the best," Chance snickered. "I don't think we could arrange a cold shower that fast. How long do you plan to stay over?"

"Two nights," Jake smiled as he settled in his seat. "Same as you."

"Just wanted to check; I wouldn't have minded if you were staying longer," Chance smiled back briefly. "Not that I'm _trying_ to get rid of you," he teased. "I've got other ways to do that if I needed a few days myself."

"Oh, I bet," Jake purred deeply. "Including just not dragging me out of my workshop for a few days."

"Always an option," Chance laughed as they turned into neighborhood of upscale brick row houses. "Did you grow up here?"

"For the most part, when I wasn't in collage or at the airport," Jake nodded.

"Lot better than my neighborhood. Your family own the place?" Chance asked his curiously as he started to pay attention to the building numbers.

"My great-grandmother bought it when Grandma Ryan was a kit," Jake told him. "It's been in the family since shortly before Megawar two."

"You ever think about meeting your folks back then?"

Jake blinked. "Never crossed my mind," he admitted. "Four more blocks," he added. "There should be parking out front."

"Aaaand here we are - good, there was parking there. Nice not to have to pay for it," Chance chuckled as he parallel parked in front of the house.

"There are advantages of being a property owner for this long," Jake snickered as he got out. "When you put out a reserved sign, it's obeyed, cause everybody knows the local cops will enforce it for you."

"I didn't think the city liked it when folks did that," Chance asked as he climbed out and grabbed his suitcase. "Take the presents in on later trips?"

"It's part of the neighborhood charter," Jake shrugged. "The owner has legal claim on the parking in front of their home. It's just not usually an issue. And yes," he nodded, walking around the front of their vehicle to join Chance before they walked up to the front door. "It dates back to before there were cars."

"I suppose that makes sense," Chance nodded as he followed Jake up. "Hope you can give introductions through the hugs," he chuckled.

"If you can't pick out which generation is which, you're in trouble," he snickered and knocked on the door, though both of them knew they'd been spotted when they drove up.

"SB!" a high-pitched voice squealed in delight as the door opened to admit a bolt of rust-brown with long chocolate brown hair and dressed in emerald green latched onto Jake and nearly knocked him back down the stairs.

"Sam!" Jake protested as he struggled to disentangle himself from his younger sister while his mother and grandmother watched from the doorway in amusement.

"SB?" Chance asked with a chuckle, helping Jake keep his feet, his suitcase held almost defensively against another tackle attempt from the pretty shekat in her twenties.

"Scatter Brain," she looked up at him with an impish grin. "Fitting, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," he chuckled. "Though he's learning to focus better," he teased, setting his case down. "Glad to meet the three of you, I'm Chance."

"Your real name?" Samantha asked and offered her hand while Jake dusted himself off.

"Yes, my real name," Chance chuckled, shaking her hand and did his best not to react too much when it turned into an affectionate, and strong, hug. "Most people don't believe it, but it is. My parents say it's because they knew I'd always be taking chances - I think it has to do with my mother still being on pain killers when she told them."

"Well, welcome to the family, Chance," she giggled and danced back, her dark green eyes glittering with mischief.

"I warned you she got the personality of us," Jake deadpanned.

"Most of the testosterone too," Sam teased back.

"Anyway," Jake rolled his eyes. "My mother, Tezla, and her mother Ryan."

"A pleasure to finally meet you for more than thirty seconds," Tezla, a rich caramel shekat with auburn hair and hazel eyes, a grinned and offered a hug that he actually had the option of avoiding, not that Chance bothered.

"Things were a little hectic after graduation," Chance chuckled, offering a gentle hug to the dark brown tabby family matriarch as well and found her stronger than he expected when she returned it. "Sorry that it took so long to get out here."

"And here I'd been blaming my son for the delay," Tezla chuckled and ushered them inside the immaculately kept home that showed clear evidence of many exciting lives across two centuries and at least four generations of the extended family that considered it home.

"You've got a lovely home," Chance said sincerely. "I can see why Jake came here, instead of the other way around," he chuckled.

"He's always been a little over-protective of his space," Tezla smiled with an understanding look for her son that was enough to make him blush. "It speaks a great deal of you that he welcomed you into his home."

"Probably as much to keep an eye on me as any other reason," Chance chuckled, knowing full well it was the truth of it. "I was glad to accept the offer though. Jake's a Hell of a guy, even if he'll never admit it willingly."

"And he keeps a nice house," Ryan chuckled lightly. "Samantha, be a dear and show the boys to their room."

"Yes, Grandma," she nodded, bapping Chance's ass with her fluffy tail before taking the lead as they headed upstairs.

Chance followed up, chuckling lowly as he watched Sam's attractive form leading the way up the stairs, making a very convenient display of her behind.

"Do you live here too, or just over for the holidays?" He asked her.

"Home for the school break," she smiled back at him. "Two weeks. How long are you off?"

"We don't get breaks," Jake told her with a chuckle of his own. "We just got lucky this year that our time off matched up with the holiday."

"That sucks," she said sympathetically. "No wonder we don't see you as much."

"The city needs protection on the holidays too," Jake reminded her. "I knew going in I'd have fewer days off."

"Besides, it pays a lot better than going to school," Chance chuckled. "You'll probably have a better situation with whatever you go into, Enforcers can be a little awkward, with getting called in if things go wrong."

"Oh I know, the scatterbrain," she reached back with a fond grin and ruffled Jake's hair. "He was in the corporate world for years before the Enforcers."

"Sis," Jake flattened his ears in a pathetic objection.

"Right, right, no teasing in front of your boyfriend," she rolled her eyes and turned back to finish the last few steps to the second floor where the bedrooms were.

"Just keep it on the down-low that I _am_ his boyfriend," Chance suggested, and cursed himself silently when she nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun around at the top of the stairs. "Wouldn't be good for either of us if it got out," he added quickly, praying that Jake had been right about his family.

"Serious?" Her wide-eyed stare flashed from him, to her older brother, back to him, and settled on Jake. "Since when?" she nearly squealed in delight.

"Officially, since part way through our last time trip. A month and a half, give or take," Jake told her. "Unofficially ... five months and some, I think. It gets a little convoluted with time travel involved."

"You're telling Mom?" she pressed, nearly vibrating with excitement.

"Do I have a choice?" Jake sighed in resignation.

"Well, you can have me tell her, or your partner," she grinned back.

"I'll tell her," Jake said. "In _my_ time. Got it?" his tone turned hard.

"Sure, sure, Bro," she nodded, not the least bit intimidated. "Come on, you push the beds together, I'll grab a set of Mom's bedding."

"Well, at least she's supportive," Chance offered as she left and Jake showed him the right door to the guest bedroom they'd share. "Hope you don't mind my confirming it?"

"No," he shook his head. "You aren't the first boyfriend I've brought home. Just the first who had something to lose."

"Why would it really matter whether or not you told your Mom then?" Chance asked him, starting to move one of the two beds so it was against the other along one wall.

"I just don't want Sam to do it," Jake shook his head and put his weight into the move. "She likes to make a big deal out of it, so attention isn't focused on her relationships so much."

"Bad taste, or your Mom just wants grandkits already?"

"After Treveris, asking about whether I'd ever get married was abruptly a taboo subject," Jake said as they got the beds together and he began to strip the two down. "So suddenly she went from 'the younger kit' to 'the only one who might marry'."

"Ouch," Chance winced. "Yeah, that could be some pressure there. How much relationship detail will we probably have to go into?"

"Not much," he said with relief. "There'll be a lot more questions about how the Enforcers view it and if we're prepared for any fallout. Probably more about your history than ours. You just went from 'the guy without family that my son flies with' to 'the guy he's making life decisions with.' They'll want to get to know you."

"Let's hope I measure up," Chance chuckled lowly. "Over dinner, or some more opportune moment?"

"You can come in," Jake told his sister without looking up. "I'd rather avoid an over-dinner grilling, myself."

"I'm sure you'll measure up for me," Samantha purred flirtingly, utterly immune to the daggers in her brother's glare.

"The fact I'm your brother's boyfriend doesn't bother you at all?" Chance asked her, raising an eyebrow. He didn't think Jake would mind the flirting, but it was a little odd for somebody to be hitting on him already after finding that out.

"With what he's told me about your dating habits?" she raised an elegant eyebrow at him. "Are you actually going to try to say you're exclusive now?"

"No, I'm not, but I _did_ promise him I wouldn't flirt too much with you... especially not in certain circumstances?" He said pointedly, putting an arm around Jake and felt him lean into it.

"Spoilsport," she stuck her tongue out at Jake.

"Only because I have good taste," he stuck his tongue out at her.

Samantha broke up laughing. "Okay, I give. Anybody who can get his sense of humor back he needs to keep."

"Thanks," Chance chuckled, hugging Jake lightly. "Let me know what bar you usually hang out at, and maybe we'll get a chance to hook up there," he winked at her.

"It's not a bar, but I'll give you the info," she promised before turning to leave. "Try not to make a mess of the bed before dinner," she winked over her shoulder and disappeared before Jake would say anything.

"Like we don't have _that_ much self-control," Chance sniffed with mock-indignation before he started putting the sheets on it with Jake's help. "Am I wrong in guessing she's a smidge oversexed?"

"I honestly try not to listen," Jake shook his head. "But I wouldn't be surprised. She got all the social inclinations I never had."

"Well, somebody needed to get 'em," Chance chuckled, kissing Jake gently. "But for what it's worth, _you're_ the one I'd want something long-term with. Sam seems more like a fun night or two."

"I'm pretty sure that's all she'd be looking for," he smiled as they finished making the bed. "She hasn't had a serious relationship yet that I've heard about."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Chance chuckled, fluffing the pillows a bit. "C'mon, let's go meet your Mom... better odds Sam won't accidentally spill the beans."

"Yeah, though I'm sure they know _something's_ up," Jake rolled his eyes in good humor. "She's probably vibrating trying to keep quiet."

"Bet it's cute though," Chance snickered, following him downstairs and taking in the abidance of an old, perfectly maintained home decorated by generations of good incomes and people who cared about taking care of that heritage.

"She'll love to hear that," Jake chuckled low in his throat as they reached the entryway and then headed into the living spaces beyond.

"Sorry to take so long," Chance apologized for the delay, looking around the decorations they'd put out for the holidays.

It was so much more than he was used to doing; normally, Bastet's Day was something he hadn't paid too much attention to since he was a kit. This home, like all its decorations, had new and old, only some of the fertility charms looked to be far, far older than the home.

He had a feeling that the Clawson family had been dominated by its mothers for a very long time, not just the three that were in residence now.

"No worries," Tezla smiled at him from where she was relaxing in a finely worn and padded wooden rocking chair with a cup of orange mint tea from an elegant Xenquii teapot he bet dated from the first Megawar, if not earlier. "Please help yourself to a drink if you wish and make yourself comfortable."

He wasn't sure what to make of the curious exchange of glances Jake and his mother and grandmother made, but he didn't get that it was a bad thing from his partner.

"The bar's this way, unless you want something tamer from the kitchen," Jake offered, motioning towards an adjacent room with heavy, hardwood furniture and paneling.

"Would anybody else like anything?" Chance offered politely. "I tend bar pretty well."

"Thank you. We are good with the tea," Ryan told them.

"What was that look?" Chance asked quietly while he mixed a drink at the bar and out of easy earshot from the shekats. "What'd you want?"

"Mom and grandma are hostesses. They're treating you like family," he explained. "I'm having tea."

"All right," Chance nodded. "Sounds like they've probably guessed, unless it's just because we're partners."

"None of my other boyfriends got this," Jake told him softly with a light hand on his shoulder. "So, um, no cussing around Grandma. She'll drag you to a temple to apologize. Sam doesn't drink, no clue why."

"Gotcha," Chance nodded and fiddled around with his drink while Jake slipped into the adjoining kitchen. He retuned a moment later with a dark blue mug with a slight shimmer on the finish and smiled at the tabby before heading into the living room again to pour his tea.

"Scoot," Jake shooed his sister off the couch that was probably good for three or four Clawsons, but wouldn't be comfortable for two and Chance.

"What?" she looked up at him with innocent insolence.

"You know the rules," he scowled at her. "Shoo."

"You _are_ getting full of yourself," she huffed and stood, taking her tea with her to one of the cushioned chairs in the room, though it was no less a part of the small gathering.

"Older sib gets dibs on the seating?" Chance guessed as he took a seat next to Jake.

"Couples do," he said simply as he settled and wrapped his hands around his mug. "She didn't bring anyone home. I did."

"Ah," Chance nodded, sipping his drink, then doing a double-take when he saw that Jake's mug was changing colors.

"Nothing in here is _that_ potent," he murmured, looking at his drink.

"It's a temperature sensitive pigment," Jake chuckled low in his chest. "A goody from my corporate days. It has nine levels of color, depending on what's inside. A neat little side project from the team doing stealth pigment research."

"Thank you, I'd hate to think my vision was going," Chance chuckled. "Be a lousy way to get put behind a desk."

"I _so_ doubt that'll be your fate," Jake shook his head.

"So has Jake met your family?" Tezla asked when everyone had relaxed as much as they were likely too.

"To be honest, _I_ haven't even seen them for ages," Chance admitted. "I had something of a falling out with them years ago, and I've only gotten basic signs that any of them are all that willing to talk to me again recently."

"What in Bastet's name could you have done...." Ryan gasped, appalled out of her manners for a brief moment at the very concept. "My apologies," she quickly caught herself. "Blood is blood, to us."

"No, it's my fault, I probably should have explained more," Chance said, clearly not offended. "My family isn't quite so accepting," he explained. "When my family found out that I was interested in toms, it created quite a rift. After I served in Lothos, it pretty much finished it for the family members who still spoke to me - I had the conservatives on one side hating me for not being a proper tom, and the lib's on the other side hating me for having been a soldier. It didn't make for the most comfortable of family relationships."

"No, I don't expect it did," Tezla murmured, speaking for three generations trying to absorb a concept they'd heard of but never faced. "You come from a large family, I think. Much larger than ours, at least."

"Much, and much more branched out," Chance nodded. "It kind of comes with the territory, growing up in an area where you'd start working early on and start a family not too long after that, instead of going to school. I'm not the first to get out, but there aren't many of us who do, and most are on military scholarships like me."

"Why ... how ... could family not approve of bettering yourself through hard work?" Ryan asked, her tone just on the polite side of incredulous.

"That's not what they didn't approve of," Chance told her. "They just didn't like the work I was doing. The reputation that the war in Lothos built up didn't help any. They didn't approve of the war, and they approved even less of the fact that I tended to defend what I did there.

"If I'd come back shattered and broken by what the government made me do, they'd have been fine with it. Instead, I came back better trained and perfectly willing to defend shooting back at the guy who was shooting at me, despite the fact they'd heard that he was supposed to be a poor unarmed farmer just trying to better himself." There was a hint of bitterness in Chance's voice, but he was clearly doing his best to keep it under control. "The biggest problem with fighting against guerillas is that they look like civilians until they're shooting - and their defenders tend to ignore the fact that they usually shot first."

"I expect you know from Jake that it is not the attitude we have," Ryan said firmly with a glance at her grandson, who nodded. "We do not entirely approve of the politics of the war, but the toms doing the work on the ground have nothing to be ashamed of and much to be respected for."

"We're the other way of the military family tradition," Jake added. "We have the pride in service, but almost no one has served. We aren't usually allowed to."

"Am I going to have to convince _all_ of you that that's okay?" Chance asked with a low chuckle and a glance at Jake.

"Nah," Samantha grinned at him. "Just the toms, and you're dealing with him already."

"Service is not that common for females yet, after all," Tezla agreed. "My grandkits may be another matter," she added with a teasing wink.

"Quite possibly," Chance chuckled with a nod. "I've just argued the point with Jake for a long time. For the record, I've got every bit as much respect for his service as he does for mine, maybe even more. His work saved a lot of lives, more than he'd have done on the lines. End of repeated lecture," he said with a cheeky grin.

"He has heard it from us as well," Ryan smiled fondly for her oldest grandchild. "All of them have. It does not seem to help ease the guilt of being safe while others die."

"You raised us with a strong sense of duty," Jake countered in what was clearly an old, well-known exchange.

"We all work it out in our own ways," Chance smiled, squeezing Jake's shoulder lightly. "You designed things that kept us safe, I took the shots nobody else could... your strengths did a lot more good in the lab."

"I try to remember that," Jake gave him a weak smile.

Despite looking more at his partner, Chance couldn't miss the approval from all three fems.

"I'm still surprised that they let him enlist," Tezla said gently, sipping her fragrant tea.

"Honestly, so am I," Jake admitted.

"Feral's no fool," Chance chuckled. "He knows full well that Jake's a much cheaper asset for the Enforcers as a gunner, and they still get his designs."

"True enough," Jake chuckled himself. "And he doesn't have to listen to me petition every year."

"How many times _did_ you petition before they took you?" Chance asked him curiously.

"Seventeen," Jake grumbled. "The first time was when I turned seventeen, for early admittance. After that, it was trying to convince them that I'd be enough of an asset to take."

"I'm sure they looked at it more as giving you a chance to be more of an asset elsewhere," Chance said, giving his shoulder another squeeze, not sure how affectionate he should be in front of his family.

"Probably, or they knew what projects I was working on, but it was still frustrating. I'm sure they never expected me to make it to graduation," it was now Jake's turn to sound bitter. "Creative types don't do well, I guess."

"You showed them though," Chance told him, wrapping an arm around Jake's waist and pulling him closer. "Still one of the best gunners in the wing, and with our wing, that's saying something," he grinned.

"True enough," Jake gave him a smile and leaned against him. "We have quite the record to be proud of."

"That you do," Tezla agreed with a smile of her own. "I think much of it isn't public knowledge."

"Time travel does that," Chance nodded. "Our trip back to Megawar II, for example... Feral won't even let _us_ look at it," he chuckled slightly. "Despite the fact we've got at least two more trips we haven't been through yet."

"He'll let us read, and edit, what we've done, but not the rest," Jake clarified. "It's a little weird, but at least they're reasonably modern trips. The trip to the Dark Ages tops my most irritating one."

"It switches places with our trip to the Jurassic regularly," Chance chuckled. "Any time before plumbing and gasoline, basically."

"That's a lot of history you're trying to avoid," Ryan said with amusement.

"Largely unsuccessfully, I bet," Samantha added, laughing harder at the face Jake made. "You never had much luck with travel."

"Between the lack of equipment, kidnapping attempts, insane demands and general lack of anything fun to do, can you blame me?" he dared her, making her laugh even harder.

"No, but ... bro, do you have _any_ idea the look you get when you wind up to rant?" she managed to get out.

"Don't bother, she's beyond being convinced," Chance chuckled, shaking his head. "She does this every time he's over, doesn't she?" He asked Tezla.

"Generally," their mother nodded, quite willing to talk to him while the siblings went back and forth on their own. "It's in good fun, unless you've heard differently."

"I haven't," Chance said easily. "Do you have any other particular questions for me?"

"Are you ... exclusive to him?" she asked with a nod.

"No, and he isn't to me, at least not by agreement," Chance admitted. "I like fems too, and he's starting to get along with the idea better; neither of us really thought of monogamy as a serious option when we hooked up."

"Do you have any kits yet, that you know of?" she asked with that overly polite tone of one who knew they could be treading dangerous ground.

"Not that I know of," Chance admitted. "I've been more careful than most though, so the odds are slimmer. There... were some complications with one of our trips back in time," he admitted, "but that gets awkward trying to explain. I don't have any surviving descendants that I know of though, in any era. I'm trying to hold off until I know I'm in a position to raise them, and I've met a mother who's willing to put up with me at least until they're grown."

"What do you not have now, that you need to be ready?" she asked, now definitely with something in mind. "I know you have a good income, and your job is steady."

"Prospective mother, a place to live, and a steady job that gives me a good chance of not having my family get a call from the Commander telling them Dad's not coming home."

"What's wrong with where we are now?" Jake showed that he was paying attention to both conversations.

"Nothing wrong with it, I just don't know that you want to stuff a fem and kits into it," Chance shrugged slightly before Jake turned back to his 'bickering.'

"Do you have a sense for what that job might be?" Tezla asked when she had Chance's attention again.

"Well, given my talents, probably either training or testing after I start to slow down enough that my odds aren't so good anymore," Chance explained. "Either's still risky, granted, but not nearly as much without folks shooting back at me. I could go into either training pilots, training marksmen, or testing jets... heck, I could always try opening a shop," he shrugged. "I've got options that'll take advantage of my reputation and skills."

"Yes you do," she smiled faintly. "Quite a few options that pay well, it seems. Perhaps you will test a few of my son's designs when he goes back to the corporate world."

"I'll do that whether it's a career or not," Chance chuckled. "His latest baby, for example... well, maybe not his latest, he's been working on her for years, but it's the one he hasn't tried to get produced yet."

"The TurboKat," her smile turned warm. "You've met Sara then?"

"Yeah... still not sure what to think of her, but I've met her," Chance chuckled. "She actually started giving Jake a surprise or two."

"I can't say I'm surprised. What happened?" Tezla asked.

"She arranged for the cleaning crew to come over off-schedule during our time trip," Chance explained. "Thankfully - we'd been expecting a good chunk of a month's dirty laundry and bad food when we got back."

"She's growing up," Jake grinned at his mother.

"Though still within her parameters," Tezla nodded. "A pleasant surprise."

"A big one though," Jake said. "She's never done anything like that outside the hanger before."

"Maybe she'll be your wife," Samantha teased.

"At least she listens to me," Jake shot back, trying to keep the smirk to himself.

"That's one thing you can't count on Meg for," Chance snickered, before realizing that nobody here was likely to know who that was. "Friend of mine, and occasionally Jake's," he explained.

"Pretty friend?" Samantha extended her teasing to Chance.

"Quite," Chance smirked. "She's a shrink I met after I came out of the military - not as a patient. She's been through a lot of my ups and downs, and she's pretty good about dealing with Jake too."

"When you came out?" Tezla raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like there's a story there."

"A bit of one," Chance admitted. "I started out as a grunt in Lothos, ended up getting promoted in the field up to sniper. I was one of the best, but I didn't like the work - when the war was over, I finished out my tour and transferred into MKPD. Well, by then, they'd started up mandatory psych evals for troops who were mustering out from Lothos, so we met during that stretch."

"I thought you said she wasn't your shrink?" Samantha broke in.

"She wasn't, but the people I had my sessions with worked in the same office she did," Chance told her. "They needed a lot more than one person to handle the volume they had after the draft."

"What sent you back into the military branch, and as a pilot?" Tezla derailed the pending exchange. "It is an unusual career path."

"I had some rough times working with the MKPD," Chance explained. "I ended up blowing the whistle on some bad things that were going on in the precinct, and went back into the Enforcers because there I wouldn't have to work with people whose friends I'd just sent up-river. That, and after everything that had happened Feral was about the only person willing to take a real chance on me at that point. I went into being a pilot because I qualified there, and I _really_ didn't want to go back into being a sniper."

"Given your current record, I'd guess you did more than just qualify," Tezla smiled at him. "I can't imagine that anyone who can keep up with Jake's standards is anything shy of one of the best."

"Very true, Mother," Jake grinned, grabbing the opportunity to praise his partner.

"I've got a good instinctive grasp on how physics work with things that move quickly," Chance chuckled. "Bullets, jets... you just have more control over a jet, and it's _usually_ not moving as fast."

"Until I get my hands on it," Jake winked, earning a knowing laugh from all his relatives.

"You could do well on the racing circuit with instincts like that," Tezla said.

"If I wanted to, but then you get into just about as dangerous as what I do now, without the benefit of actually helping people," Chance smiled. "I like knowing that I'm doing good things for people."

"It's not that dangerous," Samantha piped up. "Only one or two drivers a year get killed."

"Yeah, but then you run into the difference between entertainment and helping folks... it outweighs the extra danger for me, and I'm happy enough where I am, for the most part."

"Fair enough," she nodded and relaxed in her chair, sipping the orange-mint tea that seemed to be the family drink.

"Who in your family has shown interest in speaking to you again?" Tezla took over again.

"Turns out that my sister is interested. Awkward story about how I found out, but I heard back from her after our trip to Megawar II... probably going to try and set something up after the holidays, when we can control just how much of the family I meet again."

"A good idea, I expect," she agreed. "So how did you ... hook up?"

"Jake and I? He realized I probably wouldn't slug him for asking about it, and I realized he wasn't just completely disinterested in dating," Chance smiled. "Nothing really complicated, honestly."

"I caught the scent of a guy on him after one of his nights out," Jake added a little. " A bit later he introduced me to Meg. She's ... interesting. Terrified of flying with him though."

"I bet I wouldn't be," Samantha all but challenged him with a grin that went from ear to ear.

"Have you ever flown in an actual fighter before?" He asked her with a grin of his own.

"No, no thanks to my brother," she gave Jake a mock glare of annoyance.

"You never asked when I could," he replied evenly.

"You've had a fighter for twenty years!" she ramped up the indignation.

"You're smart enough to have built one by now too," Jake replied evenly with a bit of a smirk.

"Yeah, but then she'd have had to fly it herself," Chance chuckled. "If there are no objections, I might be able to take you up some time this weekend," he offered. "Or another one."

"I think we can make time," Samantha purred deeply. "You're much more agreeable than my big brother."

"He's not used to going up with other people, as far as I know," Chance chuckled. "Just his partner."

"I'm sure that's why it was built as a two-seater," she said dryly.

"Hopes," Jake countered evenly.

"You want us to go up in her, or something a little more along the lines of modern physics?" Chance asked Jake seriously.

"Go ahead and take her. It'll either confirm sis's a hopeless adrenaline addict, or scare her out of ever wanting to fly again," Jake chuckled.

"I promise I won't do anything that'll get our co-workers sent after us, unless they want to play," Chance winked.

"Just take her out to sea," Jake laughed, the glitter in his eyes telling Chance that he hoped they had a _very_ eventful trip. "No one cares what happens outside their airspace."

"Just don't get us killed," Samantha said more to Chance than Jake. "We can go now? It's a couple hours before dinner."

"Don't worry, you'll be back in time for dinner," Chance grinned, glancing at the elder Clawsons to make sure their were no objections. "You can help me unload the back end when we get back," he told her, standing up and offering her a hand up.

"Fair enough," she grinned at him. "Should I wear anything in particular?"

"We'll get you a flight suit at the hangar," he promised with a matching grin as they headed out, leaving Jake to spend some time with his mother and grandmother. "C'mon, let's go get you suited up."

Once they were out in the car and on their way, Chance glanced over at her.

"So, what are you going to school for, or haven't you picked yet?" He asked, making conversation.

"I have a summer internship at the genetic labs of MegaKat Biochemical, and I've been drifting towards forensic work more and more," she said. "There are some really exciting things going on in developing new equipment for it, and I helped on a Geoensic hunt last year that was probably the most ... fulfilling thing I've ever done."

"Geoensic?" Chance asked her.

"It's a volunteer group of all sorts of specialists who go out on the hardest of old body searches. Ground penetrating radar, two of the only cadaver dogs in the country, and specialists that can read the earth by a touch, taste or look," she explained. "But I also went on a fossil dig the summer before, and that was incredible."

"You ever work with Dr. Sinian?" He asked her curiously.

"Not yet, though I have met her a couple times," she nodded. "She was on the dig that brought those giant mummies to town when I was digging up dino bones on the eastern border. She's more an anthropologist than paleontologist."

"Not that it stops her from being attacked by dinos," Chance chuckled. "Which end do you prefer?"

"I'm honestly not sure," she admitted. "They have so much in common, especially in the lab. They're both very exciting fields. I'm probably going to go into forensics, just because there are better job opportunities and better pay, but if I get an offer from a museum or such, I'd take it."

"If you wanted, Dr. Sinian and I have a couple mutual friends. I could talk to her about," he offered.

"Seriously?" her eyes went wide and hopeful. "How did you get that close to her?"

"Mutual friends," Chance warned her. "I'm not _that_ close to her, though I've pulled her tail out of the fire a time or two. But she's got several Enforcer friends, particularly on the Feral end of things, that I'm on good terms with."

"I'd love that. I loved working in the dino lab, and the field was good too," she started to get very excited. "I'll have my Paleological Sciences Bachelor next term, Forensics too, if I focus on those two. I think they found me a good worker."

"Comes with being a Clawson, from what I've seen," he grinned. "You'll figure something out though - either way, I'm sure you'll do great. But I'll talk to 'em, see what they can do for getting you heard out at least."

"Thank you," she said with a surprising amount of emotion and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "We do tend to put everything into what we're doing at the moment. Mom's pragmatic with her career, Grandma Ryan and Jake are just gifted at what they do. I bet he hasn't stopped scribbling designs the entire time you've known him. I kinda think I'll be changing careers every couple decades, but it's hard to tell."

"Jake's done the same thing," he pointed out. "Lot of worse ways to live your life."

"Oh, I know it," she agreed. "He's got a gift though, he was born to design and build planes. He's been at it since he could hold his first crayon, he'll probably still be at it when he can't hold one anymore. Grandma's the same way about her painting. It's not something you can really separate out and still have _them_ left. Mom and I aren't quite so gifted."

"Oh, I'll bet you are, in the right field," he smiled. "You're just a finder, instead of a creator."

Samantha cocked her head and regarded him thoughtfully as they drove to the airport.

"It is true. I love the hunt, the excitement of the find, even when it's cleaning bones for display or trying to piece them together the way they were in life."

"See? Might not be as flashy as Jake's jets, but it's an art all its own," he smiled, watching the traffic as they started to get out towards the airstrip. "When you're _not_ one of the super-geniuses, you learn to appreciate that sort of thing," he chuckled.

"If you can keep up with Jake, you must be up there," she pointed out. "You've definitely got a gift for the physics of flight in all its forms."

"Thanks," he chuckled. "I keep up with him in practice though - don't have any idea how he does the designs he does. One of our mechanics tries, but I don't know about him."

"I bet he doesn't know how you to what you do either," she pointed out with a grin. "I bet you're just as gifted as he is."

"In my own way, just not in the brains department," Chance nodded. "Mind if I ask a question that's probably out of line?"

"The worst I'll do is slap you when we get out," she promised with a cheeky grin. "Go ahead."

"There any reason you don't drink? Or just don't like to?" He asked her.

"Never acquired a taste for it," she shrugged. "You might have noticed we're not much on drinking at home. The bar is for visitors and the rare really bad day for mom. I've tried various things a few times, and never liked the taste."

"Just curious," he said easily. "I know some people have problems with it... I used to," he admitted. "I do a better job of keeping things under control for now."

"Back around the time you blew the whistle?" she guessed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'd done a few questionable things myself, and sent a lot of friends up for doing worse. Between that and the damage done by what I _had_ done, I was something of a mess."

"Sounds like what I heard a lot of guys felt like come back from the war," she said quietly. "You've been doing good for a few years now, right?"

"Yeah," Chance nodded. "And it is how they felt. Except for this last trip back to Megawar II, I didn't have any serious problems with the war. It was dealing with civilian crooks that was trouble."

"What happen in the Megawar?" she frowned. "I thought you two were heroes for it."

"Just because we were heroes doesn't make it any easier, when you're involved with attacks on bases that don't know you're coming," Chance explained. "It's a long story."

"I suppose so," she nodded slightly, pausing as she shifted onto a different line of questions. "What's it like, being bi in the Enforcers? What's it like for Jake?"

"Jake's actually got it pretty easy on that front," Chance explained. "He gets teased, but the fact that he doesn't date _anybody_ slows that down. Actually, the best thing for it keeping the limelight off of him was his last vacation," the tabby grinned.

"Oh?" she raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yeah," Chance nodded. "Details only come with a promise that they won't get out to the others," he added.

"Okay," she didn't sound sure of why it would matter, but she'd hold herself to her word.

"Open secret around Enforcer HQ, but he took off to help Meg through her last heat," Chance explained. "It seems he can't sire kits, from what I heard, and she preferred the idea of spending it with a tom than with fems. So as soon as word about that gets out, he couldn't possibly be gay, right?" Chance chuckled. "Just the same way I couldn't possibly be, with my dating record."

"He ... voluntarily ... oh wow," her eyes were as wide as saucers as they pulled into the airport. "Well, if he can't sire kits, mom's not going to be nearly as interested in whether he'll hook up with a nice girl. But yeah, that's a hell of a cover. Your rep is how you got away with living together for years?"

"Pretty much," Chance nodded. "That and, frankly, most of our unit doesn't give a shit. _Most_ Enforcers don't, honestly. It's a handful of assholes who _do_ , usually the ones convinced that the badge makes them more macho."

"I'm not sure many _people_ care, to be honest," Samantha said. "It's just that the ones that do are a lot more noisy about it, and a lot of the swing votes are the ones that can't think for themselves."

"Kinda how I see it," Chance nodded. "I'm just hoping it doesn't take another Stonewall to make them start changing their tune. It's not the way things _ought_ to change. You force it like that, and you just build resentment. I figure we're about ten, twenty years behind because of how we get things jump started."

"When _hasn't_ a social change or movement been centered on marching and violence?" she pointed out as they pulled to a stop next to the hanger Jake used. "Kantin rights, like three times, Xanith rights, the end of slavery, child labor laws, children and women no longer being property, workers rights, the right to vote for half a dozen groups, for and against a half dozen wars ... there hasn't been one yet that didn't have a heavy coating of blood."

"Yeah, but take a look at how many of them involved blood and _didn't_ go well," Chance pointed out. "And while you _might_ be right about the first steps, it can't _stay_ violence afterwards. No matter how many people want the change to go faster, if you keep using violence to get what you want, it's not too long before somebody decides they'll just keep fighting back until there aren't any more of you left."

"I never said it should," she reminded him. "But it's never gone without violence until its law, and sometimes longer. It may not be the fastest or cleanest, but it's how this society has always worked."

"I know," Chance nodded and opened the hanger door with a palm and retina scan. "At the same time, there's got to be better ways. Violence kicks things off fast, but it makes every step after that slower, because you build resentment a lot faster shooting at somebody than you do convincing their neighbors to think something different than what they do."

"Well, we're not a absolute-rule monarchy or dictatorship, and you don't have a major god and priesthood on your side, so good luck making it work without either a shitload of time or violence."

"I still think it can go faster than you do, at this point," Chance pointed out. "What I wonder about is where we'd be if it hadn't started that way. On the one hand, we might still be in the Megawar era for gay rights - and don't get me _started_ on Commander Vidon. But on the other hand, we might've made it a lot farther by now too, if people hadn't been forced to accept change, but come around to it on their own. There are some people who could've lead the movement more effectively if things had turned out differently - look at Milk. His death set the movement back ages. If Kats hadn't had a few decades of stewing over being forced to pretend it was _almost_ acceptable for guys to sleep together, would the culture have been there to fuel his assassination? On the other hand," he shrugged, "maybe he wouldn't have gotten as far as he did. Too many variables when you're working with societies. All you can do is play the game the best you can figure out."

"You sound like how Clawsons play the financial aid system for school," she chuckled and walked inside with him. "Hi Sara!" she called out to the computer.

"Good afternoon, Sam," Sara replied. "Welcome back, Chance. Here to give the lady the ride of her life?"

"You bet," Chance grinned up. "And I suppose I do," he consented. "I suppose I take it personally, in a way. I've had a lot of dealings with it... sometimes wish I'd done more," he admitted. "Just never the right time."

"If you're meant to do or be something, life has a way of setting you up for it," Samantha told him, taking in the hanger she hadn't been in for years with open curiocity.

"If that's the case, it'll let me know when the time's right," Chance said easily, heading back to get his flight suit. "What size are you?" He called back.

"Two," she said bashfully. "I've gotten pretty hippy in collage."

"You're saying that like it's a bad thing," he chuckled. "My family's built much bigger."

"Yeah, but I bet if anyone in your family was a double 0, it's because their pelvis was crushed," she chuckled and followed him. "Clawsons are small folks."

"Well, _I_ think you're fine," Chance grinned, looking her up and down before tossing her one of Jake's smaller flight suits. "That should do the job."

"Thanks," she said softly, with a smile and tone that said that she maybe didn't hear that quiet often enough.

For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why she'd feel unattractive as tiny as she was, but he knew he had different standards given the females in his family and the Bars. He didn't bother to hide that he was checking her out, or that he liked what he saw, when she stripped down to change.

She didn't hide that she was checking him out either, though she was a little more subtle about it, at least until she got to his hips and the package that his briefs didn't conceal.

"Let's stick to one way to make your knees weak at a time," he winked at her, climbing into his suit and zipping it up.

"Is there anything you aren't confident about?" she laughed bashfully and quickly got dressed herself.

"Mmm ... nope," he grinned, climbing into the jet after Sara opened the cockpit. "Except maybe my ability to pass a written exam," he smirked.

"Fortunately, those aren't in high demand in your specialties," Samantha giggled as she made a slower climb into the back seat. "Are all Furlongs like you?"

"Big, buff and cocky? Most of us," he admitted with a chuckle, closing the cockpit. "Strap yourself in tight," he warned her.

"Right," she focused on getting the complex harness locked in place. "Virile?"

"Most of us," he agreed with a grin. "Though most of us are straight, not bi, and the married ones aren't so free with their affections usually."

"Do you care much about age differences, or kits outside marriage?" she asked cautiously.

"Personally, or family wise?" He asked her after a moment to think about it.

"Mostly you," she said. "I saw the look mom gave you earlier."

"Think she's hoping she found a sire for you?" Chance guessed. "I figured it was something like that lining up in her head. I'm okay with age differences, within reason... kits, it depends on the fem and the situation. But kits ought to have a father, I've always thought," he pointed out. "Sire or not."

"For herself," she shook her head. "I'll be done with collage this year, next at most. She's planning to have a third kit. The timing between Jake and me wasn't accidental, even if it was a couple years longer than she wanted."

"Huh... now _that_ I never thought of," Chance admitted. "Might be a little awkward, but she's attractive enough, and I suppose she can certainly take care of them."

"She wouldn't be planning it if she couldn't," Samantha promised. "The hard part for us is finding someone it'll take with. Fertility has rarely been on our side."

"Well, I don't know how easily it 'takes' with me, but I know that heat scent affects me a lot like drugs hit most people."

"Well, with large families normal for you, the odds are better than with a small family size like ours," she explained. "That, and mom has a thing for tabbies. All her lovers and both sires have been one."

"Even Jake's?" Chance asked her curiously as he finished the pre-flight and started to taxi onto the runway. "Wouldn't know it to look at him."

"Yap," she nodded. "He didn't take after his sire one bit. Caren's a chemical engineer at MASA. Or at least he was the last time I heard anything about him."

"Well, he took after him in the skills," Chance chuckled. "You should see some of the stuff he builds for missiles. If we could get the stuff set up for production, the Omegas wouldn't know what hit them."

"Really?" she sounded surprised. "Well, I guess if it's bending the laws of technology physics, it suits him."

"Pretty much," he chuckled. "What was your sire like?" Chance asked her curiously.

"He was a MMA champion back when I was sired," she said with a bit of amusement and shake of her head as they got permission to take off. "These days he's in long term care. A fight went south and he's never recovered much."

"Ouch," Chance winced. "There's another career I wouldn't want to take on for a long time. You talk to him much?"

"Not really. Mom took me to a few of his fights, but I don't think they were ever close. He was a friend of a friend or somesuch. Enough that she could offer him a sire price without looking too weird."

"Why did she decide to go with just sires, instead of ever getting married?" Chance asked as they started to take off.

"You know how Jake didn't really date, didn't feel a need for it, before you two hooked up?" she asked.

"Your Mom's the same way?" Chance guessed, keeping their assent gentle. "Guess it just seems a little unusual, intentionally raising a family on your own."

"There's Grandma," Samantha told him. "She's home a lot since she's an artist. But it's how mom was raised too. Grandma's first husband was killed in the Megawar. Her second three years after mom was born. He was a beat cop. Shot on duty. She didn't try for a third. Grandma was the last of us to have a second parent around. It's kinda normal to us."

"I suppose that makes some sense," Chance nodded. "Especially with how it all happened. How about you?"

"Honestly haven't thought about it," she admitted. "I'm focusing on my education and career. Dating's fun, but I haven't found anybody that's been fun for more than a few casual months."

"Probably where you ought to be, right now," he chuckled. "What was it like, growing up like that?" He asked her curiously, heading out over the ocean.

"Jake and I both caught a lot more social flack for being as smart as we are than anything at home," she said quietly. "Being seriously different is a lot more noticeable than not having a dad. Most of the teachers still remembered Jake when I came along, and not in a good way. I don't really know what it's like to grow up any other way, so I don't know what to tell you."

"I understand," he nodded. "So, want to get to the fun part of things?" He asked her, looking back with a grin.

"Oh yeah," she grinned as the adrenaline really began to pump. "I'd love to see what Jake's baby can do in the hands of a top fighter pilot."

"You asked for it," Chance grinned, pulling into a tight, twisting loop that took them down almost within touching distance of the sea - upside down!

He heard a gasp, then squeak from the back seat, and saw the reflection of her reaching up to touch the canopy, trying to touch the water. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and the fear was definitely mixed with amazement and awe on her face.

"Good start, huh?" He grinned. "You like water as much as Jake does?" He asked her, pulling 'down' to dodge a wave.

"Amazing," she managed to get out, her throat tight with mixed emotions. "Probably. We're all part water-cat."

Chance righted the jet, pulling up to gain some altitude.

"How high have you gone before?" He asked her.

"Commercial flight," she said after a moment to catch her breath and adjust to the g-load of the maneuver.

"Well, I can definitely one-up that," Chance grinned. "Deep breaths; if you start feeling light-headed, let me know. I'm gonna take you up to see the stars."

"Stars?" she gasped before focusing on breathing as the engines roared to life at full power and her view was engulfed by the bright blue of the boundless sky.

"She's can go orbital," Chance grinned back at her briefly, his radar scanning for anything that might come close to their projected path. "Jake loves to drift in space when he can."

"I'm not surprised," she said as she breathed, too entranced by the idea to care about the stress on her body.

"He says it can go to the moon and back, but that'll take a _lot_ longer than we've got time for," Chance explained. "I've asked him why he hasn't tried to get MASA to pick up the tab for a few like it, but I don't think he's sure he can get the price tag down enough."

"Maybe he doesn't want to give it up," she grunted at a shift in the g-forces. "Keeping space for himself."

"Heh - who knows," Chance chuckled, pulling into a fairly tight loop just for kicks, making sure to only pull a safe level of G's given she didn't have a perfectly fitted g-suit.

"Ohhh," Samantha moaned, her very ground-bound sense of balance thrown completely off by the move.

"Too much for you?" Chance asked her seriously when he'd finished the maneuver, continuing the climb.

"A bit," she admitted. "I like fast, but not roller coasters so much."

"Okay," he chuckled. "You're lucky we're over the ocean, not playing canyon tag," he grinned. "That's an entirely different type of roller coaster. If you can open your eyes again without your stomach coming up, it's starting to get dark out."

"We're really going into space?" she asked with awed amazement.

"Near space," Chance nodded. " _Just_ outside the atmosphere, not too far beyond the Van Allen."

"Have you gone beyond it?" she asked, her tone shifting to awe as she took in the view outside the heavy atmosphere of the breathable biosphere.

"Once or twice, for proof of concept," Chance nodded. "Don't want to make that trip without a lot of spare fuel and vacation time though," he grinned.

"I can imagine," she murmured, her face pressed up against the canopy. "I never realized he got _this_ advanced."

"You can make it around the world in just a couple hours at full speed," Chance explained. "At this level, there's little enough resistance that you've basically got no top speed, besides fuel. Not enough time for the global tour though, not before dinner," he chuckled.

"Maybe another time," she said wistfully, understanding fully. "It's amazing up here. The stars are so bright."

"You should see them from the dark side of the world," he grinned back. "They're really bright then."

"You know, if you're ever short of money, I bet every astronomer in the world would be fighting for a flight up if you sold them."

"Heh - she's Jake's bird, I just fly her," he chuckled. "But I know what you mean. Every astronomer and nine out of ten pilots. Getting up here is one of the reasons most folks fly."

"The astronomers could _pay_ for it though," she giggled, her eyes never leaving the starfield. "At least the ones who work for the big foundations. A million a day and they'd hardly blink. It costs half that for a full night on one of the ground-based telescopes."

"And people think the defense industry has ridiculous prices," Chance laughed, shaking his head and enjoying the view himself. "Given who your mother is, think it'd be possible to hijack a couple suits?" He asked after thinking about it a moment.

"I can't imagine why not," she said. "They must have plenty of them."

"If she can, might be interesting to try an actual spacewalk," Chance chuckled. "Jake and I have dropped by the moon, but never gotten out up there."

"I bet mom would be happy to, as long as you give her a full report and don't break anything," Samantha giggled. "You won't get it for nothing."

"Oh, I'm sure of that," Chance chuckled. "Maybe make a family outing of it," he smirked. "We could strap a couple extra seats in the bomb bay, I'm sure."

"I'll pass," she laughed brightly. "Though I won't promise that mom won't kick Jake out of this seat for the first trip."

"Couldn't expect you too," Chance grinned. "So, ready to head back to Aristal?"

"I guess," she said a little reluctantly. "There is the family dinner, and leaving your boyfriend alone with mom isn't the best idea."

"I thought they got along pretty well," Chance told her as he turned around. "You want a real show, keep your eyes open when we hit the atmosphere," he added.

"Oh, they do," she grinned with a giggle. "They can also get into plotting together. Who knows what they'll come up with in a couple hours alone."

"Is she likely to tell Jake about being interested in me as a sire?" Chance asked her.

"I'm sure of it," she nodded. "It's polite to ask him first, after all. Which knowing my brother, means he'll be stewing over it for days."

"One way or the other," he nodded. "Think she'll bring it up while we're out? If so, I should bring it up with him later."

"Most likely," Samantha said. "I think she already knows she wants to try with you, so the sooner the better."

"Well, if he broods about it too much, I'll be sure to talk to him about it ... probably tonight," he chuckled as the jet began to glow while they dropped through the atmosphere. "This is one of the places where I wish Jake _would_ give them a helping hand," he mused. "Might help get them around the problems they've had so far. You wouldn't need a pilot like me to get us out there like this."

"So far, MASA contracts haven't gotten a winning bid for his time," she shrugged. "And mom hasn't played the family card, assuming she could."

"Suppose that makes sense," Chance shrugged slightly. "We'll just have to see what happens... who knows, maybe he knows something about it we don't. It certainly wouldn't be the first time," he chuckled.

"Mom might too," Samantha added, fascinated and a little frightened by the glow outside, but calmed by the relatively cool feel of the canopy. "There's a _lot_ that goes into these things folks like us don't know about."

"Tell me about it," Chance chuckled. "Like how we can still touch the canopy despite the temperature outside being in the triple digits and then some."

"I bet Jake could explain it," she giggled. "We just wouldn't understand anything past 'it's a coating of.'"

"Hey, I can usually get through the first two syllables after that," Chance laughed. "It's just trying to get him to shorten words so they fit in that."

"While I have to keep him down at collage chemistry and physics," Samantha joined him as the firestorm around them subdued. "I'm amazed you don't do this every day. It's incredible up there.

"Yeah, but it takes a while," Chance chuckled. "Besides, there _are_ more entertaining things to do," he grinned back at her before he had to start angling for home.

"I guess," she murmured, watching the sky and sea rush by as they came towards MegaKat City. "It still must rank up there pretty high."

"Oh yeah," he agreed. "Want a bit of an adrenaline rush while we bleed off some speed?" He grinned.

"Sure," she grinned back with a throaty purr.

"Just remember, you asked for it," he rumbled, twisting down, putting the jet on its side as they circled Manx Towers, keeping in mind the rotation where she stopped enjoying it before.

"Squeee!" she yelped, more startled than anything as she was pushed back into the seat. "Oh Bastet!" Samantha gasped, a real hint of fear in her voice, but no other discomfort.

"We already went to say hi to her," Chance teased, dropping down, topping onto the side to fly between buildings through broad alleys, a route he'd been on a dozen times before in tighter cases than this when he was chasing some Omega.

Not that she had to know that.

He knew he was scaring her, but not yet to the point where she was really in trouble. It was more like when he scared the crap out of Jake. She trusted him, trusted the jet, trusted that it would be okay.

It didn't stop the reflexive fear though.

Or the scream that choked out with each maneuver.

He pulled out over a number of houses, climbing before turning in for the approach to the airstrip to land.

"Did I live up to your expectations?" He asked her with a grin as she tried to catch her breath and smooth her badly fluffed fur.

"Oh Gods!" she whimpered, shaking. "I think I wet myself."

"Well I hope not, but you can shower off if you have to at the hangar," Chance chuckled. "Just be glad you're not in Jake's spot - he has to ride along when I'm doing that during a fight."

"He must be used to it," she said, her voice really starting to shake as they touched down with the engines giving them a STOL landing and rolled to a sedate taxi back to Jake's hanger. "He wasn't joking about your skill."

"Thanks," Chance smiled. "You _are_ okay, right?" He asked, looking back at her once they were inside the hangar.

"Yes, I'll be fine," she promised him. "It was just wild."

"Good, I don't want Jake scolding me for breaking his kid sister," Chance winked, climbing out of the jet and helping her down. The feel in her body back up her words. She'd had a fright, a hell of an adrenaline rush, but the shaking was just coming down from it.

"I'm harder to break that that!" she laughed brightly and gave him an impulsive kiss on the cheek. "That was a blast. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he grinned. "C'mon, let's get cleaned up and head back for dinner before we're late."


	22. An Odd Night

A pleasant dinner melded into a pleasant evening, and it was nearly midnight before the guys finally wondered upstairs and to their bedroom for the weekend.

"Having a good time?" Chance asked Jake, an armed looped lightly around his mate's back.

"Yeah," Jake smiled and leaned into his mate, the stairs not making any effect on their ability to stay in step or contact. "I'm glad you're getting along, and they like you."

"So am I," Chance purred lowly. "Sam had some interesting ideas while we were out flying," he told Jake, broaching the subject in a neutral way. "You know if Blackie's actually able to land on the moon?"

"Of course, there just isn't much point to it," Jake said with a wide yawn.

"We talked about trying to borrow a couple suits from MASA, maybe walk around a bit," Chance explained, opening the door to their room. "She also had some ideas about your mother," he chuckled.

"You want to?" Jake raised an eyebrow and reached back to close the door to the room.

"It'd be good PR for the Enforcers _and_ MASA," Chance pointed out. "And you know that's good when budget time rolls around. Besides," he grinned. "Who could argue with the slogan that'd come out of it? MegaKat City - where garage inventors make it to the moon on their own dime."

"Like we need to attract _more_ immigrants," Jake laughed and as he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off. "Seriously though, if you want to, I'm game."

"Hey, it'd give us the ultimate bragging rights in the squad," Chance grinned, stripping off his own shirt. "Like to see 'em beat that."

"Before we do," he chuckled softly and stepped close to run his hands down the tabby's chest and claim a lingering kiss. "What about our mother?"

"Mmm... Sam seems to think she's eyeing me for her next sire," Chance explained after the kiss broke, reaching down to work Jake's belt loose. He saw Jake expression go from expecting this to be a joke to realizing it wasn't when his mouth opened in wide-eyed shock.

"Why?" was all he managed to croak out.

"I've got no clue, besides her questions to me and that she apparently has a thing for tabbies," Chance shrugged. "She also said that if it was true, she'd probably ask you about it while we were gone, so it's entirely possible she just didn't realize it."

"We got off on a technical tangent about space travel, FTL engines and colonization possibilities of other worlds," Jake murmured, still processing the idea. "She might not have had an opening. What's your take?"

"Well, if it's true, and it didn't bother you... I could do a lot worse," he pointed out. "Your mother could definitely take care of any kits that she had, and I could still be involved in their lives, whether as their sire, their brother's boyfriend, or both... though both might be awkward to explain."

"I'm going to have to think on it," Jake admitted. "It's kinda ... weird, you know? My mate sleeping with my mother. But I'm sure sis was right about one thing. Mom would ask me, as your mate, first."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that might be weird," Chance nodded. "Better to think about it now though, instead of to be put on the spot." He kissed Jake again tenderly. "For now though... how about we save it for tomorrow?" He purred, sliding Jake's pants down with a lingering caress as his belt was unbuckled and pants unzipped.

"Sounds good," he purred throatily and leaned forward to claim a lingering kiss while his hands slid down Chance's groin.

"Good," Chance purred into the kiss, his own jeans hitting the floor as his shaft slid from his sheath. "See if the beds are up to the two of us?" He grinned.

"Just remember," Jake rumbled, cupping Chance's balls on his hands and claiming a heated kiss. "Quiet."

Before the tabby had a chance to move, Jake slid to his knees and nuzzled his groin before slipping forward to take one ball into his mouth to lavish it with attention.

"Mmm ... don't worry, I will be," Chance promise, reaching down to fondle Jake's ears lightly. "Ever do it in here before?"

"A few times," Jake purred deeply, taking the opening to slid his tongue all the way up Chance's exposed cock. "Not in a long time."

"Hay ..." Samantha's cheerful voice came from the doorway before it cut of with a surprised sound.

It wasn't very different from the sound Jake made when he brain registered her presence. Only instead of standing stock still with wide eyes, his tail went ramrod strait and his fur spiked as he snarled inarticulately at her from behind his mate.

"Knock first!" Chance scolded her, stepping back and closing the door on her `without turning to let her see anything. "Pants," he suggested, moving to grab his.

"Yeah," Jake muttered as he struggled to settle himself as he pulled his up, his tail lashing in irritation and his arousal gone. "Okay, what?" he demanded when he opened the door and glared at her.

"Sorry. Just saying goodnight," she murmured, blushing and backing away slightly at what was likely the angriest she'd ever seen her brother.

"Thank you, good night," Chance said, taking Jake by the shoulders, massaging them gently with the heels of his hands as he tried to drain some of the smaller tom's tension harmlessly as the door was shut.

"We may be siblings, but we never actually lived in the house at the same time," Jake sighed, turning into his mate's embrace to kiss him. "We might as well both be only kits."

"Relax," Chance murmured, kissing him back gently. "It could've gone a lot worse... _Hell_ of a lot worse," he said. "At least she apologized for walking in on us, and there's probably even odds you wouldn't have thought of it yourself."

"I know," Jake sighed and snuggled against his broad chest. "Kinda a mood killer though," he apologized.

"It's okay," Chance reassured him. "I can always jerk off if I have to," he pointed out, tugging Jake back towards the bed lightly. "Besides, snuggling's more likely to stay quiet," he winked.

"True," Jake smiled weakly and leaned against him. "It's not the first night we've just snuggled. Probably won't be the last."

"I'd hope not," Chance smiled, laying down next to Jake and kissing him lightly. "Love you," he purred, snuggling up and rubbing Jake's side as the lean tom slowly began to purr.

"Love you too," Jake murmured and rested his arm across Chance's chest, his head tucked in against his shoulder. "I hope meeting your sister goes as well as today went."

"You sure?" Chance teased. "If it does, you might be expected to take her for a ride."

"If it means you're speaking with kin again, I'm game," Jake chuckled softly.

"Just watch out for more tabbies being interested in you," Chance chuckled. "Jake... you really that worried about being found out?"

"Hu?" he lifted his head to look at his partner.

"You keep saying you don't care, but you react _really_ strongly to getting walked on in," he pointed out.

"I react to being startled, caught off guard," Jake shook his head. "It doesn't matter what I'm doing."

"And Steele was just payback for Traveris?" Chance asked him, rubbing his side.

"And for some folks I can't, couldn't, touch," he murmured quietly. "Our Steele, Vidon ... I drained a lot of frustration and rage that day."

"You _might_ just want to tone down some of the reaction... I understand, but folks'll think it's because of what was going on, not because they interrupted you."

"You do know what it takes to train away a reflex, yes?" Jake looked at him seriously.

"I just mean the snarling, yelling part of things," Chance sighed. "I know it's hard, I lived with it for years, but the level you take it to could end up causing you more harm than good these days. I'm not saying you need to stop being careful... I just don't want you getting hurt because of something you learned to do. I'm here now, you're not alone when you get walked in on," he pointed out.

He could feel Jake ready to say something, only to retract it before it got out. It didn't take him much to guess what it would have been either. Something about having more powerful enemies now, and maybe about weaker allies.

"I'll do my best," Jake said instead, and left it at that.

"I'll help," Chance offered. "It's not that different from coming out of a warzone," he pointed out. "That doesn't change overnight, and I know that." He tipped Jake's face up towards his, kissing him gently. "I'm willing to be reasonable, honest," he smiled slightly.

"I know you are," Jake answered as he relaxed and closed his eyes. "Sleep, buddy. We can talk about it at home, okay?"

"Sure," Chance nodded, closing his own eyes and wrapping his arms around Jake, pulling him close as they both drifted off.

* * *

Chance yawned as he finished washing his hands, hoping that Jake hadn't woken up already. It was about four in the morning, but that didn't necessarily stop Jake from noticing when he got up once in a while. He turned to get the bathroom door, blinking when he opened it and saw Samantha on the other side in her nightgown.

"Mornin'," he said, stepping out to let her through when she stepped back. "Sorry 'bout earlier."

"Sorry?" she blinked. "I think that's my line."

"I'm still half asleep," Chance admitted sheepishly. "Honestly, I'm not too worried about it. Jake's not used to having somebody else living in the house who _can_ walk in on him, and he reacts strongly to anybody walking in on him even if he _isn't_ doing anything like that."

"That's what mom said," she said sheepishly. "He's always been over-protective of his personal space and privacy. I hope I didn't ruin the mood?"

"Eh, you kinda did," Chance admitted, shrugging a bit. "We'll be fine, it's not the first time, and definitely not the worst."

"I'm sorry to hear that, on all counts," she said, shifting slightly as her eyes drifted down to his crotch, tented boxers and all.

"Jake still not in a mood to deal with that?" she asked with a nod to his obvious erection.

"He wasn't when we crashed," Chance chuckled. "Maybe if he's up when I get back... I can always handle it myself if I have to."

"It would be a shame if you had to," she purred softly.

"Is that an invitation to come over to your room if Jake's still not in the mood?" He asked her with a chuckle and got a grin back.

"Definitely," Samantha purred deeply and winked before turning to go back to her room with a swish of her hips and fluffy tail.

Chance chuckled and shook his head, heading back to the guest room and looking in to see if Jake was awake or not. Seeing that he wasn't, he went in to give him a light kiss. Jake shifted and made a small, happy sound, but didn't stir any further as Chance straightened and left to deal with his arousal with Samantha.

It was just down the hall, the next room over, but by the time he knocked on the door, she greeted him unabashed in the nude with a smile and more than a little hunger in her scent.

"He's still asleep - I _will_ have to go back to bed after this," Chance warned her, closing the door behind himself before stripping out of his boxers.

"Mmmm, I understand," she purred and reached down to close her hand around his shaft as she stretched for up a kiss.

He kissed her back with a moan for her attention, reaching down to fondle her breasts.

"Don't worry though, I'll make sure you get your turn too," he purred, pressing her back down to the bed. It was decidedly exciting the way she arched into the contact, pliant and eager as she spread her legs and guided his cock to the swollen, slick entrance to her body.

"Not much for foreplay, hmm?" He rumbled, thrusting into her with a low groan, kissing her again to muffle the noises he'd usually make as he started thrusting slowly into her wet, hot sex. He was sure she'd been getting herself excited while he was checking on Jake.

"Not when I'm this turned on," she shivered under him, her sex milking him as her body rocked in time with his. His mind couldn't help but turn to what she'd be like in heat, if she was this hot and bothered normally.

"Starving for tabby-cock, huh?" He grinned, speeding his thrusts, rocking the bed beneath them slightly as he tried to keep his mind _off_ the topic of her in heat - neither of them was ready for kits, and without mentioning anything to Jake, it was a little early to consider what her mother would be like!

"Ohhh, any cock," she whimpered, her breath already quickening as she held on to him tightly. "Haven't had a boyfriend in months."

"Now _that's_ a damn shame," he panted, his barbs stroking her insides as he shifted to rub against her g-spot, his balls slapping against her ass as they road each other hard until she squealed, her entire body tightening around him in her orgasm.

He kissed her hard, muffling his own groan with hers as his own orgasm filled her body. His thick, hot seed poured into her, his balls pulling up close against her body as he slowed his thrusts until they were lying against each other.

"Mmm ... want another round?" He purred lowly.

"As much as you have in you, hot stuff," she grinned with a playful lick to the side of his muzzle. "I haven't had a good lay in a long time."

"You want anything a little more complicated than just fucking?" He asked her, kissing the side of her muzzle.

"Not really, but a different position, yes," she nuzzled him back. "On your back?"

"Sure thing," he grinned, rolling over and pulling her on top of him with a kiss. He groaned when she raised her body and guided his hard, slick cock into her body again. "You like being in charge, don't you?" he grinned when she remained upright and began to ride him.

"Oh yeah," she grinned down at him, her movements slow and measured, and with the full control of her muscles to milk him to best effect.

"Mmm... you're good at it," he groaned, reaching up to fondle her breasts as she took over most of the work, just leaving him to thrust up into her when her body dropped, shifting his hips so his cock rubbed her g-spot.

Around the pleasure, the back of his mind took in the differences between the sibling's style. Jake was fairly passive, she was anything but. A sub and a dom. He moaned and thrust up harder when her weight shifted and she brought her arms up to make an enticing display of herself for him, shameless of her body and the raw sexuality she was exuding as she arched back without losing the rhythm.

Whoever her last boyfriend was, he couldn't have left because of the sex!

He bit back a roar as he came, filling her sex with his seed again as a low groan escaped between his teeth.

"Oh yeah, give it to me baby," Samantha growled deeply, her body vibrating around his as she leaned forward, bracing her hands against his broad chest as she shifted forward and began to ride his spurting cock hard, knowing exactly how to get herself off hard and fast.

He leaned up, licking and sucking at her tits, nipping them lightly as he growled back, running a hand around to her back and massaging the base of her tail as her pussy devoured his come and tried to draw more out of him with every mewing, shuddering cry she gave up.

Slowly, she lowered herself, her entire body trembling with the intensity of her pleasure as he gasped for breath against him.

"Too long," she murmured between heavy breaths. "It's been way too long."

"Don't let it... go that long again," Chance panted, kissing her lightly, letting his cock soften inside of her. "Mmm... I've gotta get a shower and get back to Jake, but I wouldn't mind doing this again some time," he purred.

"Good," Samantha smiled and leaned forward to kiss him with a lazy passion while she slid off him. "Up for sharing a shower, or should I wait?"

"Mmm... I just get to wash your back, or other parts of you too?" He grinned.

She laughed playfully and licked his nose. "You can wash other parts too."

"Let's go then," he grinned, licking her back and following her into the bathroom they'd come out of not that long ago.

* * *

Despite being very light on sleep, the unfamiliar surroundings combined with Jake's movement that wasn't just getting out of bed was enough to rouse Chance. It didn't take him long to realize the unusual movement was Jake sniffing at him.

He reached down, wrapping an arm around Jake and rubbing his back.

"Sam caught me up in the middle of the night," he explained briefly. "You were asleep yet, didn't think you'd mind if we played a bit, showered after," the tabby told him, knowing that Jake would probably prefer the abridged version to some sort of drawn-out apology.

His mate looked up at him with a funny expression. "I don't mind," he said reflexively, though he was honest with it. "Weird to smell your sister on your mate? Definitely," he added as he shifted up to claim a kiss and lay on top of the tabby after nuzzling in. "Just _please_ don't with grandma, okay? Even if she asks," he said with a teasing grin.

"No," Chance shuddered playfully, kissing Jake back. "Mmm... your mother's towards the edge of my age preferences, for that," he teased, "and even that, probably only the once. You know, you two are just about opposites," he teased, rolling to rest on top of Jake a bit with a purr.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Jake chuckled and relaxed under his mate, claiming a kiss as he slid his knees up Chance's sides to open his body to him.

"Want to play here, or grab a shower?" Chance purred. "I've already had one, but I know how much you love water."

"I'd love a shower with you," Jake shivered under him and slid his arms up to pull him down for a kiss. "But I love it anywhere with you."

"I know," Chance purred into the kiss, before shifting out of bed and picking Jake up, still naked. "But I want to indulge you a bit, after slipping out earlier," he grinned.

"Like I'm going to object," he chuckled and relaxed with his face nuzzling Chance's neck for the short walk to the bathroom. "I am glad you get along with my family. Next time it'll probably be for the big family gathering, when everybody shows up."

"I hope the same percentage of the rest of your family doesn't have an interest in me too," Chance smirked, setting Jake down and helping him into the shower. "So, you want to get dirty before, or after, we clean up?" He purred as he followed Jake in and turned the water to full heat.

"I doubt it," Jake chuckled as he tested the water, then stepped under it. "Before," he flicked his tail up invitingly. "But the conversation might be less fun to follow with the whole clan around. It's a lot of geeks in one place."

"Yeah, but a lot of geeks in different fields, I ought to be able to keep up," Chance purred, rubbing Jake's back, leaning in close. "Gimme a _little_ time - foreplay can be worth it."

"Sure," Jake purred, pressing into the contact and more than willing to let him run the show.

Chance kissed his neck, reaching down to massage Jake's ass. He slipped a finger down between Jake's cheeks, teasing his puckered anus as he nibbled Jake's scruff. It felt good, feeling the way Jake shifted and arched into the contact, more than eager yet completely willing to enjoy the foreplay. It felt good to know that with talk of his mother and sister sleeping with his mate, and proof of the latter, it didn't seem to bother him past not wanting to think about it too much.

And Chance could _hardly_ blame him for that!

The tabby nibbled his way down Jake's shoulders, slipping a finger up into Jake's ass as he worked down to his knees, cupping the cinnamon-furred tom's balls with his other hand.

"You know what your problem is?" Chance rumbled. "You're entirely too easy to fuck," he teased. "So much fun we forget to bother with most of the time."

"I can't disagree," Jake purred deeply, braced against the front of the shower so the hot water streamed over his face and back.

Chance nosed Jake's tail entirely out of the way, curling his finger to probe Jake's prostate as he gave him a playful lick on the furless skin surrounding it. It earned him a moan of pleasure as Jake's body stiffened in response, eager for the pleasure being promised even as Jake didn't make demands.

He pulled his finger out, rimming Jake lightly as he fondled his balls and sheath, coaxing his cock free, reaching up to tease his barbs.

"You're in a _much_ better mood now, I see," he teased with a grin.

"It's not that hard," Jake panted, his body trembling slightly at the attention. "Slept it off."

"Good," Chance purred before focusing on the rimjob, stroking Jake's cock with his hand, trying to get him off before going the rest of the way. He was grateful Jake wasn't into holding back, and it wasn't long before he felt his mate's cock begin to quiver and throb in his hand as his balls pulled up against his body.

The only real hint that Jake was still cognizant of where they was the way he kept his voice down as he growled and thrust into Chance's hand while his come splattered the shower wall.

Chance stood without a word, biting down on Jake's scruff to muffle his own groans as he thrust up into Jake's well prepared ass, his cock stiff and ready for action after the play that had just come. It felt good to be buried up to the sheath, inside someone so important to him.

And damn, he'd been right. Jake _was_ just too easy to fuck.

For now, he wasn't going to complain for a moment. As he started to thrust, his balls slapped against Jake's wet thighs, a low growl escaping from his throat. Sam had been fun, but he definitely preferred Jake... that, really, was the difference between Jake and pretty well any of the fems he'd been with in the last few years. It was a stark contrast to most of his life, where he'd always preferred a fem, and no one in particular.

With his growls and pleasure muffled by Jake's scruff, and Jake's pleasure muffled by a tightly closed mouth, Chance didn't hold himself back. Within minutes he was breathing hard through his nose and his thrusting became stronger and less rhythmic.

His jaws clamped down tighter around Jake's scruff as he used it to muffle a roar, pumping a load of thick, hot seed deep into his mate's ass, his tail lashing and splashing water around behind them.

"I love the way you fuck me," Jake moaned softly, shifting his weight to brace with one hand so he could jerk himself off.

"I'm partial to it myself," Chance purred, releasing Jake's scruff, reaching around to fondle his balls and scratch his chest lightly. "Mmm ... never doubt that I'm gonna come back to you, okay?" He rumbled lowly.

"I never have," Jake groaned and dropped his head as he quickly pushed himself over the edge again.

"Good," Chance purred, nuzzling Jake's neck as he shuddered through his orgasm. "Mmm ... want to go back to bed after we clean up?"

"You can," he purred with a low chuckle and shifted forward to separate them. "I'm going to make breakfast."

"It's not _that_ late... err, early... is it?" Chance chuckled, groaning as his shaft slid out of Jake's ass. "Mmm... might let Sam know that there's no need to be awkward, if you see her. Not sure if she would be or not."

"I'm sure she's marked it as a victory hash on her lipstick," Jake chuckled and squirted out a glob of shampoo before handing it back. "She hasn't gotten many things of mine. I'll tell her though, eventually," he promised. "And no, it's not that late. Once I learned how to cook, I've always made breakfast for the mothers on Bastet's Day when I'm home."

"Ah, I get it," Chance nodded, taking the shampoo and working on Jake's back. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Sure," Jake perked up with surprise before beginning to lather himself. "I won't ask you to cook, though."

"Seeing as you don't want to poison them, that's probably for the best," Chance snickered. "But I figure I can help you out once, for them," he smiled, starting to lather his own fur up after Jake's back had been thoroughly scrubbed.

"I'm sure you can manage to cut fruit and grate cheese without poisoning anyone," Jake grinned and went to work on his mate's back.


	23. Trouble Comes In Twos

"I _think_ I've just about got it ... pass me the 5/16 wrench," Kip called out from under the Black Sun. After a moment with the tool, he wheeled himself out. "There, got the secondary fuel line tightened - fire it up, let's see how she likes the diesel," the Wolf-Tiger hybrid grinned up at Jake.

The lean tom nodded and leapt up to the pilot's seat to power her up after running the pre-flight checks. "She's liking it better, that's to be sure," Jake called down. "Better than I expected."

"Cool - want to give her a real test?" Kip grinned. "Think with the changes we made, she'll run on anything that burns."

"Sure," Jake grinned back. "Whatcha have in mind?"

"If you promise not to tell anybody I _know_ about this, there's a six pack behind Corporal Jenson's file cabinet," Kip grinned. "Figure if it'll run on beer, you're good for anything short of refueling in deep space.

Jake laughed and shook his head as he leapt down. "Grab it. I'll start to drain the lines."

"Will do," Kip grinned, getting up and hurrying off as Jake ran the engine dry, then started the process of breaking it down for the new fuel again. He was back in a minute with three cans.

"So, all three, or one for the test and the others for celebration?" Kip winked.

"She'll eat all three just running through the test," Jake chuckled low in his throat. "These babies are hungry," he patted the engine casing affectionately.

"Just remember not to let her drive herself home," Kip teased, getting up and pouring the beers into the test tank, careful to minimize the foam.

"I think I can manage," he got back in the pilot's seat and powered the engines up, running through the test sequence again. "Power's low, but not bad," he yelled down before powering them down. "Given anytime that would be all we can get I'm not going to be all that worried about performance, I'd say it works well."

"Pity we can't get her to work for cars, we'd make a fortune," Kip grinned.

"Oh, it's possible," Jake chuckled and jumped to the ground. "It's just not economical yet. Eventually, it'll be time. I think we can call it a weekend, and good work."

"I'm with you there," Kip grinned. "Got any plans for the weekend?" He asked as he crushed the cans and buried them in the recycling.

"Nothing much," he shrugged. "Some work on the TurboKat, time with Chance. We're meeting his little sister after work in a few days and he's a nervous wreck."

"I'll bet," he laughed. "Probably worried she'll steal you away," he winked. "From work, anyways. Think you'd be up for a night out some time? Maybe catch a flick?"

Jake paused, giving him a look that said, for perhaps the first time in his life, he'd actually caught on that he was being hit on before he was either slapped or fucked.

"I don't think so," Jake shook his head.

"All right," Kip shrugged. "You actually caught on that time," he said approvingly. "Walk y'down to the parking garage? It's pretty late... HQ's pretty safe, but if either of us took a fall, could be a while getting found," he pointed out, taking the door to the stairs.

"I have a professional for a coach," Jake rolled his eyes. "And sure," he nodded, following the big hybrid down, oblivious to the Kantin's possible intentions.

"You have a second car here, for nights like this?" Kip asked him as they started down the stairs, the hybrid not at all bothered by the exertion.

"I take a cab home," Jake said simply.

"I could give you a ride, if you'd like," Kip offered. "No strings," he added.

"There's no need," Jake insisted politely.

"But it's friendly," Kip smiled at him, hoping that he was getting the right expression across.

Jake thought about it as they walked, then nodded. "Okay. Thanks," Jake gave him a smile in return.

"My ride's up on the top level; I planned on walking down tonight," Kip said, opening the door as they reached the parking garage. "Usually do, really, helps me keep in shape better."

"And half the time it's faster," Jake grinned with a chuckle. "Friends of yours?" his tone suddenly went low with the smallest of motions towards the half dozen Enforcers gathered around older, immaculately kept dark green truck with a hunting rack.

"Nope," Kip shrugged. "Not that I know anyways... looks like one of 'em's Delta Unit. One of his teammate's... oh brother," he muttered.

"Trouble?" Jake tensed, knowing the look he was getting from them a little too well from folks trying to kill him.

"Most likely," Kip muttered, already backing up. It put him in a position to catch that Jake was dialing someone out of sight f their opponents.. "Met a partner of his in a club. Think we can still get back inside?" He asked, glancing back to try and figure the distance.

"No," Jake dropped into a defensive stance as the gang of Kats stalked forward. "How good a fighter are you?"

"Depends on how drunk they are," Kip muttered. "Look, they're probably after me, not you, unless you've been seeing commandos, so you can just head down and catch the nearest cab."

"That's not the oath I took," Jake flattened his ears as his fur fluffed in an instinctive attempt to make himself look bigger, more intimidating. "This isn't going to be worth it, guys," he called out to the approaching Enforcers.

"We don't have a beef with you, Clawson," the Commando told him. "We've got _serious_ issues with the faggot you're walkin' with though."

"Unlike you then, I take my oath to protect seriously," Jake growled darkly at them, his entire manner shifting to one that was taking this personally.

"Even the guy who got another Enforcer drunk and fucked him?" The Kantin challenged. "Told me himself."

"Fuck you," Kip growled. "He wasn't stone sober, but he sure as Hell didn't say no."

Jake shot a glance at Kip, suddenly not completely sure he should help. The charge was _believable_.

It didn't take long for him to remember a simple truth from Chance; vigilantly justice wasn't justice, it was a crime.

"This isn't the right way to do this," Jake brought himself upright and forced his mind into the manipulative, conniving mode he used to sell to customers in a prior career. "That's a crime. It carries a heavy penalty."

"Thanks for sticking up for me," Kip muttered.

"Shut up, fag," one of the others, a kid fresh out of the Academy, snarled.

"Yeah, only if our buddy presses charges, and he's not about to do that. Get word around that that happened? He'd be laughed out of Delta."

"Then what are you planning on?" Jake asked simply, his manner no longer threatening, for all he was wary.

"What else? Making sure he doesn't rape anybody again," the Delta commando said gruffly.

"I didn't do it in the first place! Ever occur to you that maybe your buddy sold me out to keep you from nailing his tail to his balls?" The half-breed snarled.

" _He_ wouldn't lie to his alpha," the full-blooded Wolf growled back, baring his teeth.

"Yes he would," Jake said simply, drawing pretty much all attention in the area to him even as he began to shift the entire scene closer to the entrance and open sky. "Self-preservation will cause him to do plenty. If you don't believe that, you don't know people as well as an Alpha needs to."

"Shut up, Kat," the Delta commando snapped at him, irritated beyond measure by the apparent arrogance.

"Captain," Jake corrected him sharply, throwing every Kantin present a curve as it sunk in that the Kat outranked them all by a significant margin, and by virtue of that rank, had the authority of a greater alpha.

" _I_ know the guy," a Panther with the group growled. "He's no tail raiser, and we're not gonna see him lose his job because of this."

"So shut the fuck up about it," Jake did his best to make it an order. "The more trouble you make, the worse it's going to be on everyone, him included. Do you really think I _won't_ take this to the Commander if it doesn't stop here and now?"

"What's the matter, Captain? You one of them?" The Commando asked, overcoming his initial unease. "You sucking his cock those late nights?"

No one missed the effort it took Jake to hold back his punch, and the way he bristled with a deep, furious growl made a couple of the younger Enforcers back off.

"Try me," Jake dared him.

"Two for one then," the Commando growled, the Wolves in the group bristling themselves as they hunkered down for the attack, Kip growling himself as he moved to back Jake up.

They glanced at Kip with a snarl, lunging for the hybrid and the kat both. Kip stepped back, letting Jake get in front of him and go low, but the Commando was already expecting something like that and dropped down to lash out at Jake.

* * *

Chance's heart was in his throat, his pulse racing as he broke every traffic law he could do safely, which were most of them on the souped up motorcycle. He was still listening to what was going on through the phone, now patched to the helmet's comm system.

He knew the fight had started. He could hear that. It was at least four to two, probably more like six or eight on two.

Six or eight on one, if Kip went down as easy as he probably would.

Chance peeled up the levels of the parking complex as fast - and loudly - as he could, hoping the noise would distract Jake's attackers.

There was going to be _so_ much hell to pay if Jake got hurt.

He rounded a curve at full speed, nearly laying the bike on its side to make it and came in full sight of the fight. Kip was down, fighting ineffectively against a Panther and Wolf that had him pinned and were using him for a punching bag.

Jake was still on his feet, but only just. There was no way he'd keep it up against four commandos for long.

Chance double-checked his math, gunning the bike as he brought it up. He accelerated towards them, tucking his head down, bracing his neck as he got up enough that he could prepare for a jump and control the bike at the same time. As he reached the point of no return, he hopped his feet up, using the power of his bent legs to launch into a jump at over thirty miles an hour, leaping off the bike and into the mass of commandos, grabbing hold of anything he could as his body absorbed the massive impact, the helmet slamming down against his shoulders as his head was driven into the shoulder of the biggest Wolf.

He heard a yelp and cry of pain, and the sudden chaos of the battle shifting focus to him as the greatest threat there.

Someone got ahold of his leg as his momentum was absorbed by the mass and pulled on it, trying to drag him out into the open.

He spun around in that grip, slamming the heel of his boot into the attached jaw, scrambling to his feet and taking in the situation with practiced speed. Still outnumbered, and he'd just lost the element of shock from his sudden entrance. He'd banged up his shoulders in the fight... he just hoped Jake was in better shape, and knew what was going on better than he did. Well enough to place where everybody was, at any rate.

He ducked under a wild swing, answering it with a punch to the balls of the Wolf who'd made it. As his target crumpled, he ran the mental math - two down. That was better odds, at any rate. He kicked the fallen Wolf over onto his back, reaching for his sidearm - changing the balance would probably be the safest way to end the fight.

There was a desperate scrabble, everyone's instincts were to keep their weapons, but it only took three punches and a broken arm for one Wolf for Chance to get his hands on one.

"Don't know what's going on here," he lied, "but you lot are going to leave, _now_ , or this is going to end up getting messy. And I don't care how fast you are, you're not fast enough," he said, aiming at the obvious Alpha of the group. "If you ever want pups, have your friends disarm, take your trash, and get the _fuck_ out of here."

The Alpha glared at Chance, calculating the odds like a good commando, and made the low grunt of a bark that called for retreat before he stood, careful not to give Chance any reason to think he was going for his weapon. "Do it," he ordered, picking up that the non-Wolves hadn't gotten the first version.

Despite the glares, everyone complied.

"Where will our weapons be?" the Panther asked.

"We'll drop 'em off at the armory before we go," Chance told them. "Same place you'd pick 'em up any other time."

"Do it," the Alpha ordered, still with hatred in his eyes for Chance. "This isn't the end of this, fag-lover."

"You wanna come kick my ass? Just do it on your fucking own," Chance told him. "Makes me sick when you wanna-bes talk tough, then don't have the balls to do your own fighting."

Chance kept his grin to himself when he saw he hit home with the insult.

"Give the gun to your fag partner and I'll show you what I can do on my own," the Alpha demanded, fully aware that if he walked away he was going to be in at least as much trouble as the packmate who'd gotten fucked by a half-breed guy.

"Rest of 'em stay out of it, and if I win, you _all_ lay off the gay-bashing, whoever it is," he said, taking his helmet off. He knew it would take a minor miracle, but the commando'd been fighting Jake and Kip both for a few minutes - he'd be at least a _little_ tired. More than Chance was, at any rate, which _might_ make up for the skill difference.

The height and weight... that Chance knew how to handle. He'd probably fought more wolves than the Commando had, certainly with higher stakes.

"Chance?" Jake's tone was somewhere between a warning of how bad an idea this probably was and an offer to make sure it was interrupted quickly.

Chance glanced back, his expression showing that _he_ certainly didn't have any better ideas at the moment as he handed over the side arm and took off his jacket. Jake took them both, his expression grim. It was an opportunity to get a good look at Jake's condition. Bruised up, he'd definitely taken a few hard hits, but he wasn't moving that awkwardly. Kip had definitely been more of a focus of the beating.

He focused on the Wolf across from him as both sides gave them space to fight, all too aware of what they both had to lose.

He'd barely had time to get his balance when the commando lunged forward, going for a quick takedown.

Chance sidestepped him, throwing a quick punch for the Wolf's kidneys as Jake helped Kip to his feet, the hybrid limping into the staircase. Good. At least he'd be out of the way.

The Wolf twisted to square his center on of gravity on his feet and coughed, visibly surprised by the counterstrike being so well landed.

"Still want to do this?" Chance asked, taking a defensive position, making sure to keep himself between the Wolf and the open wall behind them - he wanted to be the one controlling anybody who ended up going _that_ direction. The fight wasn't worth that, but he wasn't sure the Wolf would agree.

"You challenged me," the commando growled, his nose low to protect his throat as he closed the distance again.

Chance was actually reasonably proud of himself. He was getting past the 'commando' part - the training and the skill that would make this fight suicide. The more pissed off he made the Wolf, the better his odds, especially if he could get him to think of this as a fight between an Alpha and an upstart Wolf instead of a fight between an Alpha Wolf and a _Kat_.

The fighting just didn't work the same way.

As the Wolf lunged at him, Chance went low, ducking under his snapping jaws and grabbing his shirt, spinning to throw him to the ground. He couldn't suppress the surprised sound when his ear was grabbed on the way down by one hand and his shirt by the other.

Sharp teeth latched onto his arm as the commander tried to roll with him and pin him on his back.

Chance snarled and bit down himself, his own sharper teeth seeking out muscle, his claws ripping through cloth and into the flesh beneath. He tried to bring his knee up into the Wolf's groin, hoping that any help that was on the way got here soon - this fight wasn't going to end well. He couldn't _afford_ to lose, and the Wolf wouldn't surrender, he was sure.

He had few doubts the Wolf didn't think he could afford to lose either.

A powerful punch slammed into Chance's pelvis, forcing his bladder to empty and knocking most of the air from his lungs with a grunt through clenched teeth.

Chance braced himself, slamming his head up into the wolf's throat and jaw, wincing as the teeth sank further into his arm before they released, the Wolf trying as hard as Chance was to get the next breath. Chance scrambled back, trying to get to his feet, both of them panting and stinking.

He braced himself for another assault when the door slammed open, almost snapped off its hinges by the force of the thrust used to open it.

"Everyone _freeze_!" an outraged female voice thundered into the surprised moment of silence her entrance had created.

"I have _never_ been so happy to see you, Lieutenant Commander," Chance sighed gratefully, raising his hands as he recognized her voice. "Broke up a fight, afraid I got into one in the process."

"I saw what you broke up," she made a small not toward Kip, who looked anything but happy for having run into her. "Was everyone here involved?" she looked between Chance, Jake and the Commando.

"Yes, ma'am," Jake responded quickly. He was about to go into full detail when a desperate look from Chance cut him off. "Something between them and Kip, I got in the middle of it, then my partner was."

"Apparently at high speed," Felina said dryly with a glance at the mess his bike had made of the floor and the two vehicles it had slid sideways into after he'd jumped off it.

"Nobody ever accused me of subtlety, ma'am," Chance pointed out. "I was on my way up to pick up Jake, and saw things were about six-to-one. I figured I should get in fast, since my bike didn't distract them on the way up."

She nodded and focused on the commando with a deadly glare. "What was the fight about before the Kats got involved?"

"One of our boys was having some problems, and the half-breed there started getting snippy about it," the Alpha muttered, tail between his legs. "Things got out of hand when we tried shutting him up."

It didn't take a psyche major to realize she wasn't buying it, but when a glance at Kip, Jake and Chance didn't produce a counter story, she nodded acceptance.

"Staff Sergeant Kilmol, I'm suspending you for two days without pay. Everyone else, including you two," she leveled her gaze on Jake and Chance. "Suspended without pay for one day. Report directly to me before your next shift. Furlong, it's on you to see the damage your bike did is fixed."

"Yes ma'am," Chance nodded, giving her a salute. "Anything more before I can get changed?"

"You're dismissed," she nodded. "Take your partner and Durnan to medical to get checked out."

"Yes, "Ma'am," Jake saluted her and moved to gather Chance up, putting himself between his partner and the threat without consciously thinking about it, then herded Kip up the stairs with him and to the nearest elevator.

"Why silence?" Jake looked at his partner when they were well out of earshot.

"I need a job," Kip pointed out, limping along with them. "If they drop me here because I 'interfere with the cohesion of the unit,' I'm stuck working out at Megakat Salvage."

"If it was just the two of us, I wouldn't mind," Chance agreed. "But I can't make the choice for Kip."

"They aren't in your unit, or even in the same department," Jake pointed out, more out of his own anger than anything else.

"You really think they're the only guys who'd care?" Kip asked him incredulously. "Felina _might_ not have cared, but... nngh... plenty of other guys would, _especially_ mechanics," Kip growled lowly. "Bunch of macho bastards."

"Jake," Chance reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't your corporate world where people are competing for recruits, for folks with skill, and don't give a damn about anything other than your sketches. This is the Enforcers, and the rules are different.

"No, it's not fair. It's not sane," the tabby spoke for him, knowing what was coming from the look on Jake's face. "It's just how it is."

"Besides, _you're_ the one with the sketches," Kip pointed out. "I'd have a lot harder time, especially since my college amounts to the academy."

"I'll keep quiet," Jake muttered, though he meant his words.

"It wouldn't help if you didn't," Chance pointed out quietly once they'd gotten a bit ahead of Kip. "If _he_ doesn't admit to it, it doesn't do any good. Hope I've still got a clean change of clothes in my locker," he muttered to himself.

"How bad did you get hurt?" Jake changed the subject even as they garnered curious looks from those on duty.

"Not that bad," Chance bluffed. "I'll be fine with a little rest... might be a bit before I'm hitting the club scene again, but one day should be plenty. You look like you took a few hard hits."

"Yeah," Jake admitted as they stopped by their lockers. "I can fight, but not win against that."

Chance pulled out a fresh change of clothes, glad to find it there, and set them aside as he stripped down.

"Glad you thought to call me," he said, squeezing Jake's shoulder. "You had me scared shitless once I heard that."

"I didn't know if you got it until you showed up," Jake admitted quietly. "I just wasn't going to let it be just their word on what happened. It's hard to deny a recording in court. I'm really glad you picked up though."

"So'm I," Chance shuddered, knowing how it probably would have ended if he hadn't. "If I hadn't... I don't like to think about that," he said, shaking his head.

He knew exactly what he'd have done. It might've started riots, but he'd have made sure they didn't get away with it.

"It didn't happen, buddy," Jake smiled reassuringly at him, even though it showed off the slowly growing welts and deep bruising on his face that he was only now starting to feel. "It's not going to happen."

"I know," Chance nodded, his own body starting to _seriously_ feel what had come before that last punch, his arm still oozing from the deep bite. "Glad Felina got there when she did though. Held my own pretty well, given who I was fighting," he chuckled lowly.

"And we both need to get to medical," Jake said firmly once Chance was dressed. "At least get things bandaged up."

"Not gonna argue with you about that one," Chance promised, winching as he pulled on his sleeve. "Haven't had a bite wound in years."

"Let's try to make it many more years before you get the next," Jake said, gathering Chance's soiled clothes and a fresh set for himself as they walked and headed towards medical. "It's going to be a long week as is. I just hope this doesn't take us off flight duty."


	24. Family Connections

"I shouldn't be this wound up," Chance muttered, tapping the wheel of the car as he and Jake waited in traffic near Randi's place. "Kat's alive, I'm meeting my sister, not your family!" He grumbled lowly.

"A sister that you haven't been on speaking terms with for years," Jake reminded him. "From a family you're estranged from."

"Believe me, I know," Chance sighed. "I just can't shake the feeling that there's got to be some sort of _reason_ she's trying to get hold of me now. It might've been luck that she ran into Meg, but that doesn't change that she made the first move."

"Maybe in moving out, she realized how stupid your family had been?" Jake suggested.

"Possible," Chance nodded. "Living on your own can do that, though none of the others really went that way... well, you ready?" He asked as they pulled up in front of the small development where she was living.

"Yes," Jake smiled gently and reached over to squeeze his shoulder. "It's going to be fine, buddy. However it goes down."

"Thanks," Chance smiled, starting up to the door. "Nice place," he mused, looking up at the single-story house that was split up into separate apartments.

"Does she have roomates?" Jake asked as Chance knocked.

"Her emails said she did," Chance nodded. The door opened, a handsome young Fox meeting them on the other side.

"Chance and Jake?" He asked with a grin.

"Guilty," Chance nodded. "Ron?"

"Yep," the Fox nodded. "C'mon, Brenda's giving Randi a little pep talk, make yourselves at home."

"What's she nervous about?" Jake raised an eyebrow as they walked in and took in the surroundings that spoke of collage students, at least one with some taste.

"She's meeting the brother who got practically disowned after folks found out he slept with guys... and his boyfriend," Ron pointed out as he led them in. "That and... well, there's something she wants to bring up, but it's her thing to talk about, not mine. She's a little worried that things could go pear-shaped, especially if you hold a grudge."

"I don't," Chance said, shaking his head. "Not that much of one, anyways. Any idea why she picked now?"

"The news I talked about, in part, and she's been adjusting to the idea too. We were dating in college for a while, and I got her over the initial 'eww' reaction to two guys playing around a bit."

"That's progress," Jake smiled at the Kantin only a couple inches taller than he was before he and Chance found a seat together on the couch facing a good sized TV that wasn't turned on.

"I thought so," he grinned. "We're not dating anymore, but not because of that," he added, looking over as he heard a door closing. "That'll be them now."

"Chance?" Randi asked, coming out, dressed in a loose blouse and a tight pair of jeans. Jake could definitely see the family resemblance between the two of them. She was taller than most shekats, and built like a brick.

"Who else," he smiled, standing up to give her a hug. "Been a while, sis."

"Too long," she admitted, patting his back before stepping back. "You've met Ron, and this is Brenda," she said, indicating the Calico who was stepping in from the other room.

"Don't mind us, we just keep her out of trouble," Brenda grinned.

"Most of the time," Ron snickered.

"That is what friends are for," Jake winked at them. "Hello, Randi," he stood and offered a hand to her.

"To listen to them, you'd think I needed babysitters," Randi shook her head, shaking Jake's hand. "You're Chance's... uhm...."

"Mate," Chance supplied.

"Sorry, still kinda hard to think that way," she admitted sheepishly. "I'm working on it though."

"Congrats," Ron smiled to Chance and Jake both. "And we don't think she needs babysitters, just quality control on dates and interviews," he teased, giggling as he ducked a playful back-handed swing. "I'll make sure dinner's on track," he said, heading out to the kitchen.

"You date _one_ loser," Randi sighed, shaking her head.

"Who _happens_ to be the dean's son. The dean you _happen_ to get a job with that you really hadn't thought you were qualified for," Brenda said dryly.

"I've learned my lesson, Mom," Randi sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Everyone makes mistakes," Jake said politely as everyone settled down in a small conversation circle in the living room. "You learned from them. That's what matters."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'm glad you two could make it. I was a little worried after you and Chance both disappeared."

"You, us and pretty much everyone," Chance nodded. "At least after a few days. We've always been back pretty quick."

"That's what I remembered," she nodded. "I was worried you'd ended up thrown somewhere else in _space_ instead of just time, stuck without a planet beneath you. So... are you still working on any of your jets?" She asked Jake.

"All the time," he smiled with a warmth and energy that few subjects garnered. "The squad's been good about my customizing Black Sun to the Nth degree, and I put a lot of free time into the TurboKat, my showpiece and private jet. I've still got my hand in a few corporate jobs too, though mostly as a consultant; a few hours here and there when they need my skills. Even after years in the Enforcers, I'm still a designer at heart."

"He's actually doing a pretty good job of space-proofing her," Chance added. "Never sticks to just one thing," he chuckled.

"And I'll bet you take advantage of it every chance you get," she grinned at her brother.

"Of course," he laughed.

"And I take advantage of his eagerness to test my latest idea," Jake winked at her. "A good test pilot's a real bitch to find."

"You don't _usually_ have to sleep with him to get him to try a new jet out," Randi teased slightly. "At least that's what I've heard."

"Nah, I'm just sleeping with _him_ so he'll let me," Chance teased back, not as awkwardly.

"It's working too," Jake joined in. "And it's fun."

"So, which one of you started it?" Ron called in from the kitchen. "Dinner'll be ready in a minute, by the way," he added as the smell of garlic started to filter out.

"I did," Jake said with a blush.

"Probably the first time ever," Chance chuckled. "You need any help in there?"

"Not unless you're better at cooking than Randi is!" Ron calld out quickly - maybe a little _too_ quickly.

"At least _I_ never started a dorm fire," Randi grumbled.

"Have your burned water?" Jake snickered to her. "I'm a good cook," Jake offered and stood.

"I only did that once, and I didn't destroy the pot," Chance groaned as Jake headed back.

"Keep an eye on the sauce, will you?" Ron asked him, stirring the fettuccine noodles in the next pot. "So, have _you_ ever figured out how people who grew up in such a big family never learned how to cook?"

"I always figured it was the girls who cooked, but if she can't," Jake shook his head. "As backwards as a lot of what else I know about them is, it made sense then."

"A family as big as theirs doesn't need everybody cooking," Brenda offered as she came back. "Letting those two talk a bit; any questions you have about Randi that you don't want to ask her?"

"Not really, but I am curious what prompted this," he asked as he tended the sauce. "Beyond finding out how to contact him."

"Leave it to Randi to tell Chance, but their Dad's sick," Brenda said quietly. "Really sick, apparently." She glanced back out at the two Furlongs with a slight frown. "She's not sure if he's going to get better; something that built up when he was working in the mines, before Megakat Maximum took over the work."

"Do you know the name of the disease?" Jake asked, his voice low.

"They called it silicosis or something," Ron explained. "I don't know much about it, myself... I wasn't in medicine, just computing."

"Incurable, expensive to treat, or just makes him miserable?" Jake asked.

"A bit of all three, I think," Brenda explained. "I looked up a little bit about it... it's something about breathing in the rock dust from a mine. Rips up the lungs inside, and as far as I found, there's not much you can do to cure it. Maybe somebody who knew more about it would have an answer, but...." She shrugged helplessly. "I think she's hoping that she can get the family together enough that Chance at least has a chance to say good bye."

"I'd think that would be up to their father," Jake glanced at the siblings. "I don't think Chance holds that much against them anymore, but I don't think he feels much need to see folks who don't want him either. We'll find out soon enough, I expect."

"Most likely," Brenda nodded. "We'll have to see how it all works out. If it doesn't... well, you'll be there for him. And from what Randi's said about him, he'll be ready to crash the funeral if he has to," she smiled slightly.

"I have _no_ doubt of that," Jake couldn't help but chuckle. "Likely in the most spectacular way he can think of, and quite probably with the rest of the squad whether he likes it or not."

"What're they like?" Ron asked him curiously, pulling out a tray of garlic bread after straining the pasta. "Gonna be okay with you two?"

"Kathie, our wingleader, will be," Jake said with easy certainty. "Tammy and Joan probably will be. Colin is the most likely to have issues. He's seriously old school. I'm not sure about the others."

"Here's hoping it goes well," Ron nodded. "Likely to come up eventually. So, you guys prefer individual serve, or community?" He asked.

"Community will work fine," Jake assured him. "I take it you're familiar with the hazards of it around a Furlong?"

"We live with one, remember?" Brenda snickered. "Don't worry, we've learned ways around it," she winked as they mixed the pasta and sauce. "Don't know about Chance, but Randi's got a limited appetite for pasta. She likes it, but not in the copious amounts she likes, say, peppers."

"Oh, kats, just don't get those two started on a peper-eating contest," Jake groaned. "I'd rather avoid repeating that one."

"My stomach's already terrified of the idea," Ron shuddered. "C'mon, let's get dinner on the table," he said before they started in.

"About time," Chance murmured, trying to grin as Jake and the others came in.

"Things going okay?" Jake asked quietly, more than willing to leave early.

"Between us, yeah," Chance nodded. "I just found out my Dad's dying," he murmured, clearly still letting the idea sink in as Jake reached over to squeeze his hand.

"Unless they can figure out some sort of a cure, or a replacement for lungs," Randi nodded quietly. "And even then, he'd have to be able to get it. We've already had six lawyers come trying to get us to hire them since he was diagnosed," she muttered.

"I'm sure," Jake nodded as they all found seats. "Lung replacement surgery does exist, it's just rarer than most organ replacements. The lawsuit, if you win, would be worth a serious fortune."

"They're talking wrongful death, not medical care," Randi growled lowly as she served herself some of the pasta and a piece of garlic bread. "Bunch of leeches."

"We've got better lawyers than that - ones with souls," Chance reassured her. "And we've got connections who know about the medical end of things, they might have more options."

"How sick is he?" Jake asked gently.

"They think he's got a couple years left, tops," Randi explained. "He's not bedridden, but he needs help breathing sometimes... on bad days, he can't go out of the house because of the smog."

"Sis, if money's an issue for anything," Chance tried to offer, trailing off when she shook her head.

"I'll let him know, but you know what he's like. Even if there weren't any problems between you, I think he'd _rather_ go out a bit sooner than take something he'd think of as a handout."

"How do you think he's take being approached to take something experimental to help?" Jake asked, only absently eating as his mind went over his contacts and the projects he knew of.

"Who it's from, and how it's presented, will make all the difference," she explained. "I didn't invite you two over here just to try and find help for Dad though," she offered.

"We know, sis, but we've _got_ options that might help him - he's my Dad too, even if he'd rather forget that some days," Chance pointed out.

"And probably deserves to be forgotten," Jake muttered under his breath, the first real hint of the animosity he felt towards his partner's family on occasion. "Why did you invite us?"

"I wanted to let Chance _know_ , mostly," Randi explained. "I've known for a little while, but I haven't really had the nerve to say anything. Once you disappeared and then came back from Megawar Two... I got over it. Chance deserves to know as much as I do. If there's a way to fix it, great, but I wasn't expecting that. If there isn't... at least then you'll get a chance to deal with it the right way, instead of finding out afterwards and never getting to _try_ and make things better, if you want to."

"I do," Chance admitted, "but not on _his_ terms. I'm not going to change who I am, I've said that before. If he can accept that... or at least tolerate it...."

"Talk to him, some time?" She asked him hopefully. "I'll try to lay the groundwork, get things put in place... but if you don't rub his nose in it, I might be able to get him to at least see you again."

"Thanks," Chance nodded as everybody settled in to eat. "How about better subjects?" He suggested.

"Sure," she smiled gratefully. "Anything you guys want to know? It's been a while."

"What are you majoring in?" Jake prompted a topic that everyone there could relate to on some level.

"Going for my MBA, actually," Randi explained. "I got into a five-year program, I'll have my BBA and MBA all at once. Funny though; they call them five-year programs, but it's taken me six," she admitted sheepishly.

"They call 'em five-year programs because they think you'll dedicate every waking moment to school to get out in five years," Chance said dryly. "Besides, lot of folks take the four year ones and take at least five... know one guy who bombed out of the Academy, as far as I know he's _still_ in undergrad, drifting from one program to another and refusing to actually take enough to graduate."

"And ones like your partner who do it so fast the instructor's heads spin and never stop collecting credits," Ron snickered. "I'm a Fox!" He said to Jake's raised eyebrow. "Get my nose into everything, incorrigible gossip, gets around to everybody."

"Besides, you had to know we'd do a _little_ checking up," Brenda chuckled. "Need to make sure Chance isn't going to bring somebody in who'll end up screwing up our rent situation," she winked.

"Just because I like short and thin, doesn't mean I'm going to poach my brother's boyfriend," Randi said dryly. "Besides, I probably couldn't do it even if I wanted to, from what Meg told me about you."

"That and I _do_ have survival instincts," Jake added with a chuckle. "I still have to fly with him. A pissed off pilot is hazardous."

"Funny, you've never mentioned that when I get pissed off at the other guys," Chance chuckled. "Or are you just worried I'll break the jet in half trying to chase you with it?"

"Yeah, but the other guy isn't sitting behind you trying to keep us alive," Jake winked at him. "They're who I want you to chase."

"Are you two always like this?" Ron chuckled.

"Nah, not always, sometimes we're worse," Chance smirked. "You should see us when the whole unit goes out and hits a bar for some reason, then it's a _real_ blast."

"Pilots plus alcohol is a recipe for bragging, challenges and a massive hangover," Jake laughed. "Gunners aren't much calmer."

"The good news is, we're still _usually_ smart enough not to go _flying_ during those stints. Megawar II... that was a little nuts. Didn't think a thing of driving while they were over the limit, and not much about flying that way."

"Yeah, that was unsettling," Jake agreed. "And the attitude towards gays," he shook his head. "I knew it was bad, but even tactically minded folks were willing to throw away their best weapons on a rumor."

"Oh, he'd have been willing to let me keep flying and stick you in a lab somewhere, but only if I'd have blamed you for everything," Chance grumbled. Randi winced, shaking her head.

"I can imagine how _that_ went down."

"Hey, he's the one who started swinging," Chance shrugged. "I might've finished the fight, but he should've expected it."

"The really ironic thing? We weren't actually doing anything there," Jake added. "We were too damn tired to do more than pass out when we got to land."

" _So_ not surprised," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "It didn't take much to get labeled back then. Doesn't these days," he admitted with a slight shrug. "That was the one thing that they were better about around the Lothos Alliance; packmates playing together wasn't as big a deal. Of course, they were racist, dictatorial bastards, but...." He rolled his eyes again, working on a piece of garlic bread.

"Who really hated Foxes," Chance nodded. "Yeah, I remember from both wars now."

"Sometimes I wonder how we won, with Kantin organization," Jake shook his head. "Even knowing the outcome, it surprises me sometimes."

"Kantin organization," Chance explained with the voice of experience. "You know the old saying, you kill a snake by cutting off the head? Works the same way with Wolf packs. Only the most well-ordered packs can survive both Alphas going down suddenly, and it only gets worse when you're dealing with the political groups. Kill the leader, and they'll survive the battle - but they'll be thrown into disarray afterwards. Then, the next time you run into them, their morale's already damn low. They're prone to infighting and takeover attempts. It's no good to you on a one-day basis, but if you're dealing with a battle that stretches out for an appreciable amount of time, it's a crippling weakness up against somebody who knows how to exploit it."

"Like we do," Jake murmured as it filtered into place and connected a few points in training that hadn't really made sense before. "Snipers and assassins, where with less organized races it's more likely to piss us off then cripple us."

"Prime reason why the last war went so much better for us than Megawar II," Chance nodded. "We got over those little rules against going after enemy officers, AKA Alphas, surgically."

"There are still rules about how you handle a war though," Brenda offered, not noticing the beseeching look that Randi was shooting her until it was out of her mouth.

"Of course there are," Chance grumbled. "And _I_ followed them, at least, along with every sniper I met. Yes, the rules got broken, but those were isolated cases. Sometimes the stress got to a unit and they went too far - usually Kantin refugees from Megawar II era families and Xanith who'd been on the receiving end of Lothos' expansion," he pointed out. "Everybody talks about the massacre of the Golden Dawn pack, but nobody talks about why there were _any_ survivors. The chopper crew that pulled 'em out stood court martial for doing it, but everybody tries to gloss over the fact that they _did_ save ten pups and their caretakers."

"Sorry," Brenda murmured, ears flat and head low.

"It's okay, I kinda asked for it," Chance sighed. "Just, friendly advice, don't bring up the 'rules of war' with a Lothos vet unless you're _very_ clear that you recognize they _were_ usually followed. Golden Dawn was a tragedy, but it was a group of rogue grunts, not the systematic genocide it got painted as."

Jake suddenly burst out laughing, earning curious looks from everyone, even his partner.

"Remember when we were on MKC's Dumbest?" Jake got out between snickers, setting Chance off in deep laughter and breaking the tension in the room.

"Oh yeah," Chance grinned. "It was just after we got back from our first time-trip, the one to the Jurassic. The whole squad and then some went out to celebrate at the Afterburner, a bar that Enforcer Pilots have basically taken over.

"Don't be fooled, a retired pilot opened it for us," Jake piped up.

"Don't spoil the story," Chance chided him playfully, earning a tongue stuck out at him. "Even Lieutenant Commander Felina Feral was there. It was _big_."

"A hundred drunk Enforcers?" Randi's eyes went wide.

"Something like that, maybe more," Chance nodded with a great deal of mirth. "Anyway, we were well into the party when this guy stormed in, ski mask on, gun drawn, and announced it was a holdup."

"Oh gods, I _do_ remember that," Randi groaned, shaking her head, grateful for the topic change. "You guys were there?"

"Yep - the security footage didn't catch everything though," Chance grinned. "He just about shit himself when we all drew on him. Then his partner turned up, and I swear he had to be high on something."

"We remember all of this from the show," Brenda nodded, running through it.

"And then he announced that 'he knew kat fu,' and tried to face us all down with some piss poor movie-grade martial arts, like that would stop bullets if we'd fired. What they _didn't_ show on the show's run, because the lawsuit was still pending at the time, was when the first guy tried to grab him and stop him - and his buddy punched him in the face and knocked him cold."

All of them laughed, shaking their heads, trying to imagine it, and the results.

"So his buddy sued him for assault?" Ron laughed.

"Nope. They both tried suing the Enforcers, claiming that if it hadn't been for us drawing our guns in response to the holdup, the assault never would have happened."

Ron stared at Chance, jaw slack.

"Yeah, that's about what the Enforcer lawyers said too," Chance nodded. "The Commander had another few phrases for it, and it got tossed out of court before too long, but not in time for the show."

"It'll probably be in the reruns, or on the DVD set," Jake suggested. "It really was priceless. He's just lucky we _were_ there, cause if Old Cander, the owner, was in charge of the response they would have found out that the shooting range out back wasn't just for the customers settling marksmanship bets."

"Ouch," Brenda winced. "Sounds like he got off easy."

"Except for the practically immortal shame," Chance grinned.

"It was probably the best advertising the Afterburner ever got, and he got paid for it," Jake added.

"Is that the craziest thing you've seen?" Brenda asked, delighted at this subject.

"Personally, in terms of non-Omega related crime? Yeah," Chance chuckled. "Though back when I was on the force, a buddy of mine had somebody try to rob the store he was in."

"The leather and firearms shop?" Randi grinned.

"Yep. Ended somewhat messier, but really, what do you expect when you realize there's a cop talking to the guy behind the register you're trying to rob, and fire a shot into the ceiling - with half a dozen customers and about three employees, all licensed to carry concealed?"

"Definitely dumb," Ron shook his head in amazement. "But come on, robbing a _gun shop_ is asking for it."

"No kidding," Brenda rolled her eyes.

"What about the gal that tried to break Turmoil out of prison by using a heat-scent enhancer to try and distract the guards, not realizing that in a female prison, all the guards are female too?" Jake added with a snicker.

"Well, that'd be a little silly, but I don't see how it _really_ causes too much trouble," Brenda shrugged. "Get her caught quick though, I'll bet."

"Oh, it did more than that," Chance smirked. "It really wouldn't have been that bad, but the only people who reacted to her scent were the inmates. She was grateful for the guards when they got there - she hadn't really thought through what she'd do if there _had_ been male guards, not just touchy-feely gals who could grab her through the bars of their cells."

"Prison Pussy #4," Ron said after a moment's thought.

"One of the guards sold them the script and worked as a 'technical advisor,'" Chance snickered. "She's still considered a living legend, pretty much, though not for the usual reasons. How about you guys? Anything fun happen at your school?"

"Besides the obvious," Randi smirked. "Well, there _was_ the time I caught my first roommate doing a drunk streaking routine across the football field in my swimsuit."

"Your _thong_ swimsuit, that you'd been wearing earlier in the day," Ron snickered. "Between the scent still on it and the skimpy outfit, there was _no_ question he was wearing the wrong gender's suit... a pity he left the school, really, Kat was _hung_."

"More on the 'stupid ways to chlorinate the gene pool' end of things, we had a couple down the hall that everybody thought were some of the biggest prudes on campus - the guy, at least. Girl tried everything short of raping him or locking him in while she was in heat, but he'd never do more than feel her up. Well, she found out eventually that when he was in high school he'd been out on a camping trip and had an 'accident' involving too much alcohol and a porcupine," she snickered.

" _Ouch_ ," Chance winced, unconsciously pressing his legs together defensively. "He..."

"He had a pair of silicone balls and a morbid fear of it being found out," Brenda said, shaking her head. "Porcupine swatted him with its tail while he was chasing it, I guess, and... well, he _did_ still have scars from it."

" _Ouch_ ," Jake flinched in agreement, though it was far more personal a reaction. "That is a whole new level of hurt."

"No kidding," Ron agreed. "What was the big events when you were in collage?" he asked Jake.

The lean tom settled back and laughed. "I thought you looked me up."

"Some," the Fox said, not getting what was so funny, especially once Chance joined in.

"I graduated with a BA in mechanical engineering, BA in electrical engineering and MS in aeronautical engineering," Jake leaned forward with a wicked look on his face. "At seventeen."

"So?"

"Which means," Chance explained once he could, "that until he got in the Academy he had a saint for a roommate and no life to speak of where he could even _hear_ about it. The _deans_ could have streaked naked across the stage, and unless he'd been there wearing a mortarboard he wouldn't have known about it."

" _Totally_ missing the point of your freshman year," Randi chuckled, shaking her head.

"It took your brother _years_ to convince me there was something other than academics and work to do," Jake chuckled. "He's still working on it some days."

"Not to mention he graduated collage before most folks graduate high school," Chance shook his head.

"Nothing wrong with that - I just don't know how he managed it," Ron chuckled. "Only so many hours in a day, after all."

"Not a lot of sleep, and challenging a _lot_ of classes. I can read a textbook in a few hours and pass any exam they came up with," Jake said. "Really, most of what I did was work-experience and the ones that couldn't be challenged."

"Still damn impressive... well, what about after that? Must've slowed down once you weren't breaking the computer's ability to give you credits," Brenda grinned.

"I went to work designing things, mostly fighters," he smiled fondly. "Generally freelance, though I have a few multi-project stints with Pumadyne and Skykat International. The Mark 1 Raven, the newest Enforcer jet, is my design. So's the Barracuda light assault boat and the MBR-66 blaster rifle. And a lot of things that are still classified. Most of my visible work was designing luxury craft for individuals."

"Nice living, if you can get it, I assume?" Ron chuckled. "Why'd you go Enforcer?"

"If extremely dull," Jake nodded. "Most of the time it was as a bribe or favor to somebody. I really prefer working on military projects when I can. I went Enforcer because they finally let me in. I'd been trying since I turned seventeen."

"Overqualified, huh?" Ron chuckled, shaking his head.

"They felt he was better used elsewhere," Chance pointed out. "It's an old argument between us," he added with a chuckle. "Which one of us did more good during the last war - I'm still trying to convince him it's him."

"Pretty much," Jake agreed. "Only they didn't say that, I was just denied entry. It was frustrating."

"Ouch, I'll bet," Brenda winced, finishing off her dinner. "Running pretty late... you two have any other plans for the night?"

"No," Jake shook his head. "I think we have a bit of talking to do though, at home," he glanced at his partner.

"Yeah, I think so," Chance nodded. "Good to see you again, Randi," he said, standing and giving her a hug. "Gimme a call some time, okay?"

"You _could_ just try checking your email more often," she teased, kissing his cheek lightly.

"And come across another picture of you from Meg? No thanks," Chance smirked. "That was a dirty trick, you know - she was willing to just delete it."

"Yeah, but then I wouldn't have gotten to hear what your face looked like," she snickered. "Still would've preferred to see it, but I didn't think that I should spring everything on you all at once."

"Thank you," he said dryly. "We'll see you all around; if you ever need some help with classes or something, give us a call, we can probably arrange something."

"We'll keep that in mind," Ron promised as he and Brenda began clearing the table while Randi saw them to the door and watched as they walked to their glossy black SUV.

"That was ... interesting," Jake murmured as he got in the passenger seat.

"It could've been worse," Chance offered, climbing in to drive. "A lot worse. She seems to be doing pretty well for herself... except for the obvious," he admitted.

"True," Jake agreed. "She's got a good future if she stays in school too. How are you doing, with the news?"

"It hasn't set in yet, really," Chance admitted. "He's not even a hundred... we've got some time though, we might find some sort of a fix. Maybe somebody down at Serenity Thorne has a project in the works."

"The proven treatment is lung replacement, though donors aren't easy to come by," Jake said. "Where are you, in the line of your siblings?"

"From Mom's end, or Dad's?" Chance asked him seriously. "There's a little confusion in there for a couple of us. I'm either second, third, or fourth; second kit who was from the same parents, fourth my Mom had, but one of my older brothers is supposed to have died while I was in Lothos. I'm not sure if he actually did, or if it was just a cover for something else," he admitted.

"Have you tried to look him up?" Jake glanced over. "We've got some serious resources at our disposal right now for that."

"I asked around a bit while I was on the force, but Mom asked me not to when it got back to her," Chance explained. "He was dealing with some nasty people before I left, so if he _is_ still alive, they might not know," he pointed out. "Could be up in Sayden Bay for all I know, he'd have fit in pretty well."

"I guess so," Jake nodded. "Sounds like a brother better left be," he said cautiously. "Are you going to want me along when you do see your folks again?"

"If it's my call, yes," Chance said firmly. "As my partner, at the very least."

"Then I'll be there," he promised and reached over to squeeze the tabby's thick leg. "We were partners long before we were lovers after all."

"Right," Chance smiled, reaching down to take Jake's hand in one of his. "Glad you got along with Randi, it's a pretty good sign."

"Good," Jake smiled back as they pulled into the nearly deserted street. "Tell me about your folks? I might as well learn what I can before I meet them."

"Mmm ... well, Dad's first name is Leon," Chance explained. "Mom's is Audrey ... it was a more popular name back then," he chuckled slightly. "They've been married close on sixty years now, I think," he said, a little impressed by it as he thought about the numbers. "There was a stretch between the heat where she had two of my older brothers and mine; she had some pretty serious issues between them. Neighbor who took to heat-scent about the way I did dropped by one day, didn't realize she was in heat until he was thrown out of the house bodily by my Dad."

"And back then there weren't any morning after pills," Jake shuddered in sympathy. "They married pretty late in life. What did she do before?"

"She worked as a secretary at the mines," Chance explained. "She kept doing part-time work all the time we were growing up, mostly from home. When they needed something typed up they'd send it home with Dad for her, that sort of thing. Paid her by the page, at that point in time."

"Not a bad way to earn a few extra dollars when you're home," Jake nodded. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Seven total, counting Ray... the one who died," Chance said easily. "All toms until Randi," he chuckled. "Mom was getting pretty frustrated... I think she'd been hoping she'd have a daughter when she had me."

Jake couldn't help but snicker. "Kept trying until she got her little girl? Is she the youngest?"

"Nah," Chance chuckled. "She had one more girl after Randi, and my younger brother Rod before her... Rod's the one who I can't stand the most, besides my Dad. Dad had the homophobia... Rod didn't have any problems with me on those fronts, but he's one of the most vocal would-be hippies you'll ever deal with," he grumbled. "Last I heard he was going into poli sci overseas, but that was years ago."

"Quite a gamut," Jake murmured, watching the dark sky as they drove out of habit. "What are the others up to, if you know?"

"My oldest brother, Thomas, ended up working offshore oil rigs. Makes a good living at it, really. Ray's littermate is Leland, a bounty hunter. Tyler and Sandy are still in school, I think."

"Any of them likely to take to me particularly poorly?"

"Thomas and Leland, _maybe_ ," Chance said. "The testosterone-poisoned ones, you know? That's only if they find out about us being an item though. Just on your own merits, none of them should have a problem."

"Any of them likely to be good enough that I can't put them on their tail if need be?" Jake glanced over. He knew it was guesswork, but it was better than his.

" _Maybe_ Leland," Chance snorted. "We all know how to take care of ourselves, but Thomas is a brawler at most, and _if_ Rod was home, he'd be the one _most_ likely to get along with you until he found out about the military-industrial complex connections outside the Enforcers."

"Good enough," Jake nodded. "It's not like I'm looking to start trouble. Have any married or have kits yet?"

"Thomas has, both. Leland _was_ married for a while, don't think it worked out... the schedule and all. And I think Rod's just convinced the whole 'marriage' thing is a relic," Chance said, rolling his eyes. "Not that I necessarily disagree with him, but boy."

"If he's home, he'll probably take some heat off me," Jake chuckled. "Or rile everyone up."

"Or both," Chance chuckled lowly. "C'mon, let's get home and have some fun, take our minds off the other things for a while."

"That sounds like a plan," Jake purred softly. "A hot movie, the lights off and just us for a while."


	25. Moon Walk

"Entering the moon's gravitational field," Jake called out moments before Chance began to feel the subtle tug on his controls.

"I feel it," Chance nodded. "You've got the thrusters adjusted for lunar gravity?" He asked.

"Of course," Jake couldn't help but chuckle. "I wouldn't forget something like that."

"Just checking," Chance chuckled, starting to head for the surface. "Hey... Jake, check your radar. Think those blips are mountains?"

"They shouldn't be," Jake frowned. "There aren't any mountains there. Swing that way, let's check'm out."

"Will do," Chance nodded, turning towards the horizon and starting off towards the stationary blips. Before very long at all, they started to rise above the edge of the moon.

"Look almost like spires... some sort of crystal formation?" He guessed.

"With a power signature," Jake voice contained his frown. "They weren't here before. Be careful, aliens aren't usually friendly."

"Neither are foreign powers that have built bases," Chance agreed. "Ground approach, or air?"

"I would have heard about it if anyone on Aristal had made it to the moon," Jake said with absolute confidence. "Air. If it's hostile, we're a lot more likely to get away in the TurboKat."

"All right then," Chance nodded, dropping down for a low approach at any rate, knowing they'd stand a better chance of not being noticed if they stayed down. "Don't suppose you have options if they want to talk?"

"If they don't speak a language one of us knows, we'll have to run it through mom and MASA and hope they can make sense of it," Jake answered, his senses fully keyed up for trouble. "There's about a three second lag on communications out here, but the real lag will be the translating anyway."

"Don't suppose you have the old SETI codes programmed in this thing from before they dismantled the program?" Chance asked. "Might be a start, tell 'em we're not trying to kill 'em at any rate." As they approached, the towers began to glow. "Could be security... might be friendly, might not be, but they're not shooting yet."

"No, but I'll have Sara upload them," Jake said quickly, though his tone made it clear enough to Chance that he expected this to be a fight. "Give it thirty seconds."

"I'll try going around," Chance nodded. "See if we've got a ring of them." He started to veer off, giving the towers a decent berth.

"Just be ready to bolt," Jake said cautiously. "Remember, we're unarmed and barely armored in this one."

"Beats through," Chance pointed out, before an energy spike registered on Jake's sensors. Chance heard the warning alert, pulling up sharply just before the blast blew a new crater in the surface of the moon. "Shit!" He swore, turning away from the towers as a second blast lanced through just behind him.

"Confirmed hostile!" Jake shouted for the benefit of those listening a world away and the recording. "Krud, I hate aliens," he snarled more to himself as he scrambled to do anything to help them get out without weapons or much armor. The energy shields, experimental as hell even for him, were all he could try.

It was just enough, as he brought them up, to stop the third shot, though he could tell the generators were shot. Now that the towers had calibrated for the speed of the jet, the fourth shot hit the engines.

"Left engine down, heading for cover!" Chance shouted back. "Get your helmet on!" He warned Jake, switching to his own air supply as he struggled with all the attention he could spare to keep the jet going. Right about now, he wished they _hadn't_ recalibrated the throttle - with the reduced gravity, one engine might have been enough.

"Working on recalibrating," Jake replied through his mask, his fingers flying across his controls that quickly brought the apparent power up significantly. It was just enough to allow them to skim over a small cliff instead of slamming into it.

"Craters - gimme a _deep_ crater!" Chance muttered to himself, looking for a suitable target and finally finding it, cutting their last engine and angling into a long glide for it, hoping that cutting power would take them off sensors.

He could practically hear his partner's mind going at the speed of light. Not on their landing, but on how to get them home afterwards with only one engine and probably some other damage.

That was all Chance could spare for his partner as he fought the off-balance handling of 1/6th gravity with only one engine. The low gravity made handling weird, but it would make the touchdown much less violent.

The lack of atmosphere was another issue; he couldn't use air resistance to slow down their landing, because there _wasn't_ any. He was incredibly grateful to find that the surface wasn't solid rock; when the landing gear touched it, they dug in, starting to drag. The jet still went over a mile before it finally slowed to a stop.

"Gods I hope we're out of range," Chance shuddered, half expecting another shot to hit them any moment. When it didn't arrive, he finally allowed himself to relax a little, and start thinking about their situation.

Screwed on a whole new level was what came to mind.

"Can you repair the damage?" he finally asked when he heard the tapping on control screens slow down behind him.

"Yes," Jake said without hesitation. "Before our air runs out, that's less likely."

"You've got the parts?" Chance asked, a little surprised. "Any way we can minimize air consumption, then? We'll need some for the engines on the way back."

"I can improvise," he said with simple determination. "The question whether the best choice is to try and fix the TurboKat, and risk running out of air first, or to try and sneak into that base and risk that they don't have a ship that'll make the trip."

"What do we have for small arms?" Chance asked after a moment's thought. "We'll need something, just in case."

"A couple blasters, knives, a mining laser, some explosives and a laser sniper riffle," Jake rattled off the list. "You want to try and swipe one of theirs?"

"If possible," Chance nodded. "Better odds of getting it back to Aristal, and it'll have better strategic value than the TurboKat... sorry, buddy," Chance added, realizing how that might sound.

"I know," Jake nodded, swallowing the hurt of leaving the jet he'd built from scrap and worked on as his pride and joy for his entire adult life and then some. "I just hope she'll still be here when I can manage a salvage mission."

"If we had any better option, I'd take it," Chance told him quietly, reaching back to squeeze his shoulder, knowing this wasn't much better than asking Jake to leave a kit behind. "Maybe we'll be able to pull off both, if they've got extra air after we get loose."

"And they aren't chasing us," Jake nodded, focusing on the mission as he double-checked his space suit that it was still suitable for the outside. "It's the best option we have."

Chance checked his own seals, then geared up, taking only weapons he could handle in the space suit... mostly the sniper rifle. "If you spot a target, drop to the ground and let me know. If I drop, you follow, okay?" He told Jake, packing a few extra power cells.

"Will do," Jake nodded as he picked up the blasters and a few gadgets that weren't weapons. "If we get home alive, Mom'll feed you for weeks as long as you don't shut up about every detail of being here," he chuckled weakly, trying to lighten the mood a little for the long trek they had ahead of them.

" _When_ we get home," Chance corrected him, standing by the door leading to the outside. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he nodded and followed his partner outside. Despite the situation, it was terribly difficult for him to focus on watching for trouble when every little detail, from the consistency of the powdery ground to the brightness of the stars above, vied for his attention.

Chance dropped to the ground, dragging Jake down with him and pulling out the sniper rifle.

"Looks like there's a search party out," he told Jake over their radio. "Hope they miss us, or drop 'em?"

"Let's try not to prove we survived just yet," Jake replied, playing over all the ways it could go down. "If they don't know where making our way in, they won't be on quite as high alert. Trying to snag a couple so we can get in their suits, that's another matter."

"If they get close enough for that, I'll take the shot," Chance nodded, lining up a shot and following the vehicle. "Tell me if anything notices us."

"Right," Jake nodded and watched in fascination as his partner went into a mod he'd never really seen before. Absolute focus he knew, but there was an edge to this that was entirely different, and a little unsettling in a way. He partner wasn't a killer like this, it wasn't right, for all he had completely given himself to the purpose right now.

Heartbeats past. A handful, then a score, then ten score, and the vehicle the aliens drove angled off in a different direction.

"They're moving away, buddy."

Chance relaxed visibly, rotating his head.

"Good, we don't want to pull one of my three-day stretches out here," he joked, getting to his knees. "Let's get moving."

"Agreed," Jake murmured, standing with his partner and heading for the two towers several miles away. It was an arduous trek, most of it made by an odd hoping motion that turned out to be the most energy-efficient way to move in the light gravity and powdery dust.

"They aren't powering up," Jake said when they got within half a mile, and the last of the really good cover before they reached the rounded metal towers. "Anything in your background give you a better idea than just trying to sneak up and find a door?"

"Not with limited air," Chance shook his head, starting forward. "Let's go, and hope those things are calibrated for vehicles."

Jake nodded and they fell into silence, becoming more keenly aware with every step towards the nearer tower how much body language their space suits muted.

Reaching the towers, rounding one of them, they found there weren't any visible doors. All they could see were a pair of metal poles sticking out of the ground, about at hand-height for Chance.

"Running low on air; think these poles are part of the door?" Chance asked.

"It's worth a try," Jake said, studying the options. "Try to move one?"

Chance nodded inside his helmet, pushing down on one. It didn't do anything, or respond in any way... fortunately, nothing in the tower seemed to respond either. Chance thwacked the side of it with his hand... and both started to vibrate. A glowing space formed between them, starting to glow brighter as the two poles synched their vibration.

"Try hitting the other one," Chance told Jake. "If we can get them both going, maybe we can get something useful here."

Jake nodded in silence and gave the one nearest him a hard whack, watching in fascination as the glow brightened considerably. "I think we walk in," he said, all too aware of all the ways this could go wrong.

"We go in armed," Chance nodded, raising the rifle before stepping through quickly, disappearing as he passed through.

When Jake followed, his own weapons ready, Chance was kneeling over the prone form of a guard in some sort of metallic suit that concealed his race. The tabby had pulled his gloves off, and was trying to find some sort of release on the helmet of the suit.

Jake was there in a heartbeat to help him, then got his own off while his partner guarded them.

"Good move," Jake nodded to him over the dead guard before he knelt and tried to discover what the invaders looked like.

"Careful," Chance said, watching the hands of the guard, kneeling on one of them. "He's not dead yet; he was too close, had to nail him with the butt." As Jake slid the metallic, insectoid helmet off, they were both a little surprised to see a flat-faced, furless mammal of some sort beneath it.

"So that's what they look like... armor must be meant to be more intimidating. Have anything to tie him up with?" Chance asked him. "Rather not execute somebody just yet."

"Always," Jake nodded and quickly fished a length of high-strength rope out of his supplies and made short work of hog-tying the strange alien. "Did he say or do anything before you nailed him?"

"Not that I picked up, but there's got to be _some_ sort of alarm system on a door like that, I'd think," Chance pointed out, looking over the gear the alien had. "All looks like it should be easy enough to use," he observed, taking a pistol with a smaller trigger guard than he was used to and inspecting it quickly. "Not compatible with our gear, obviously, but it's a good indicator when we find their vehicle bay."

"At least we got that lucky," Jake nodded and went still, letting his sharper senses and technological instincts roam for a moment. "This way," he motioned and walked cautiously for the visible door.

"Any idea what _is_ that way?" Chance asked, following Jake without questioning that it was the right way.

"Either a control center or the vehicle bay," Jake said quietly as the moved down the hall with as much speed as they could without compromising their ability to react. "Something with a lot of machine activity."

Chance nodded, following without saying anything more, keeping a close eye out for any signs they were about to be spotted. As they opened the door to the vehicle bay, several fields opened into the area. Chance brought the rifle up, aiming at the nearest one as they moved for what looked like a mid-sized spacecraft.

"Move!" He told Jake firmly.

He shouldn't have worried. Jake moved with him, blaster at the ready in one hand and a hand-sized computer in the other.

As somebody came through the first portal, already raising a heavy blaster rifle, Chance opened fire. The shot seared through the armor, and the guard looked down in absolute shock before collapsing to the ground. The next ones through weren't as obliging, opening fire as they came through. Fortunately, by now Jake had managed to get a door open, and the two Kats were heading into the shuttle.

"Tell me you can figure out how to get this thing up," Chance asked, climbing into what he thought was the pilot's seat.

"That's your job," Jake kind of quipped as he sat down and let his fingers fly over the touchpads. "I'll get you power."

"That's kinda what I meant," Chance said dryly, taking the two control balls on the arms of the seat as they lit up. "Time to find out if what everybody says about my instincts is right," he murmured, moving his hand forward on one ball, wincing as the shuttle slid along the ground, moving the other forward and raising the ship. "Of all the twisted control schemes," he muttered. "Got any weapons?" He asked as the blaster bolts bounced off the hull, some of the guards disappearing back through the portals, presumably to fetch a bigger gun.

"Working on it," Jake said, only peripherally aware of Chance as he stretch his mind and instincts to the limits in working the controls out.

Abruptly a missile launched from under them and blew a gapping hole in the wall that sucked all the air and everything unsecured outside.

Chance got control back of the ship as it was pulled out into the vacuum, getting his bearings and spotting Aristal through the viewing window.

"Let's hope the only reason they're not already after Aristal is because they're building up," Chance muttered, gunning the engines for their homeworld.

"Let's hope it'll take them a long time," Jake added as the towers fired on the debris field all around them, knocking down target after target until they were the only large item left.

"Wonderful," Chance muttered, narrowly dodging the shots that came after them. "Apparently they don't have some sort of friendly-fire ID tag. Any ideas, Raven?"

"OTH, fast," he said simply. "Then to Aristal."

Chance twisted them back down, staying close to the ground where other features might serve as cover until they'd made it. He was grateful for the small size of the moon right now; it made getting over the horizon much easier. Unfortunately, as he peeled off to head for Aristal, the towers weren't their only threats - a wing of additional fighters, larger than their own, had come to catch them.

"Should have known they'd have fighters and we didn't get one," Jake grumbled as he fired one of their missiles at their pursuers, hoping he was reading the lock right.

"Krud, they've got shields too!" He snarled as he saw the fighter he'd targeted fly off course, but not be seriously harmed.

"Then let's hope that means we do," Chance muttered grimly. "Cause one of them looks like he's got a _big_ toy in store for us!" He warned Jake as his sensors flashed one of the targets brighter than the others.

"Time to earn your rep," Jake quipped as he found the gun controls and opened fire on the brighter target.

"In a craft I don't know how to fly? Doesn't count," Chance said dryly, bringing them around to give Jake a better shot at a target he could see instead of just targeting in sensors. The fighter wing didn't seem to be expecting that, and they scattered to let the smaller craft through. The one that was charging its weapons kept a bead on them, cutting loose some sort of massive beam. Chance pulled up out of its way, but as the beam passed under them it felt like something was ripping through them, stretching them and twisting them as a wave passed through.

" _Fuck_!" Chance swore, feeling his vision starting to go, everything blurring as the worst vertigo he could imagine tore through his brain, making his stomach roil. The only outside sensation that penetrated was his partner's whimpered moan of pain, then the white engulfing his vision dimmed to a blue in a transition he dimly recognized as breaking through a cloudbank.

It took everything he had to level them out. The controls were fully responsive, but his body wasn't.

"Jake, how are you?" Chance asked him, concern in his voice as he glanced over and realized that he was slumped forward, unresponsive. He risked moving a hand from the controls to press a finger against Jake's neck and relaxed slightly when he felt a pulse.

"For gods sake, let us be somewhere friendly," Chance muttered, heading for the ground. Ground that looked unsettlingly familiar from harsher times. He looked around a bit more, checking out the coastline and the mountain profiles, the type of trees, the shape of a nearby lake. "Teldan Lake," he muttered to himself.

At least with a landmark, he knew how to get back home. He turned, climbing again, hoping that Jake would come around by the time he found a safe place outside Lothos to touch down.

It wasn't long before Jake groaned and struggled to sit upright. "POW or safe?" he managed to ask through slurred speech.

"Neither," Chance told him. "We got popped back to Aristal, but we're over Lothos," he explained. "Taldan Lake. I'm heading back for MKC now."

"Good," the lean tom managed as he reoriented himself and put his focus on working out the communications system. "Know any largely abandoned spots to set down until I can tell HQ that we aren't the enemy?"

"If we're lucky, there should be a cache left near the DMZ," Chance said after a moment to think. "There was a base there, but it was decommissioned years ago."

"I'd say that's our destination then," Jake nodded as his sense of balance returned and the nausea faded. "Rations aren't good eating, but they're better than nothing."

"Assuming they're still there," Chance reminded him, turning to the new angle. "Lucky we didn't have full stomachs," he grumbled.

"True, and agreed," Jake shuddered as he focused on working out what the comm system was and how to make it work. "That made a time trip seem pleasant. At least this thing isn't too weird to fly."

"No, I'm just _very_ good," Chance informed him. "They've got one set of controls for the X and Y, one set for the Z. Must be some sort of grav-control drive or something, instead of airfoil."

"Grav-drive?" Jake's voice nearly squeaked with the kind of ecstatic excitement an orgasm couldn't even entice from him. "Fair trade," he all but came in his pants at the prospect of what he could do with it. "An unreproducible tesseract for an assembly line grav-drive. Oh yeah," he shivered. "I can't wait to get this baby back to my shop."

"Focus!" Chance barked back at him, earning an instant reaction as Jake's mind snapped to his job. "Can you _talk_ to anybody? Can you pick up any signs of radar contact or anything else that says I have to do more than a straight line?"

"I've got incoming on radio frequencies, haven't tuned it well enough yet to hear it. Don't know how to talk back yet. The nearest blip is _way_ on the edge of range," he reported quickly. "We have clear skies."

"Thank you," Chance nodded. "Sorry, buddy, but I'm a _little_ tense up here right now," he added more gently.

"I know," Jake shot him a brief smile before keeping his focus on his job. "Just think what I can build with the technology in this thing."

"If we can get it taken apart," Chance chuckled lowly.

"Okay, I have radio tuned in," he said as he began to flip thorough channels and their clear, if unhelpful, chatter in Katian. "There really should be a lot more chatter," he frowned after a moment.

"Over Lothos? They might not be using our frequency range," Chance pointed out. "Not sure how fast this thing us, but we should see the base by now... maybe the Wolves had it ripped down?"

"Can you ID where it should be by landmarks?" Jake glanced at him as he played with the comm system.

"It's been years," Chance pointed out. "Could well be nothing left from what I remember... but we should be over it pretty soon, if those're the Kereni Foothills."

"Even if they dismantled it, there should be a nice flat space to land and work in. Maybe you could hunt something while I work out how to not get us shot down when we go home," he suggested. "If not, one of these islands should be deserted with landing space for a VTOL."

"That's the nice thing about this - I can touch down anywhere that's able to support it, from the feel of things," Chance admitted. "Looks like there's a clearing here," he offered, heading out to an area and setting down. He looked out the viewscreen. "Dammit, the base should be _right here_ ," he grumbled. "This is where the landing strip oughta be... why would they dismantle it, instead of take it over, after we moved out?"

"Maybe it was too badly damaged by something, a typhoon or tsunami?" Jake suggested. "Why don't you see if you can scare up a meal while I work out how to get home in one piece?"

"Sure," Chance nodded, climbing out, peeling off the rest of his space suit gratefully and picked up the sniper energy riffle before heading out to scout the area and see if he could scare up something edible enough to cook on a campfire. A hot meal sounded far too good right now.

Maybe even fish, if it took Jake more than a couple hours.

"It doesn't look like anything was ever here," he frowned.

He looked up as he heard engines approaching, dropping to the ground and raising the rifle reflexively, his old instincts taking over. He sighted up the planes... and gasped when he recognized them. By the time they'd passed over, he was getting to his feet, running back to the shuttle.

"Jake!" He shouted. "Time trip! Just saw two biplanes, part of an obs escort!"

"Any idea if the war's still on?" Jake called back, still working on the comm system. "I think we'll be transmitting in ten or so."

"Not if they've got an obs airship up - they couldn't use those during the war, with the Lynx out there," Chance said, climbing back in. "We've got other ways to signal them now though. Got anything for a mirror?"

Jake tapped something on his palmtop and handed it over as the screen turned into a fairly good mirror. "That should work."

Chance nodded, taking the palmtop and climbing out. He looked around, spotting the airship, and flashed the mirror at them, signaling an SOS. He kept signaling until he spotted a recognition flare, then climbed back in.

"They'll be down for us any time - we must've landed just a year or two after the war ended."

"Which means Vidon is still in charge," Jake muttered. "He better not try to charge us with desertion."

"Assuming this is visit number three," Chance nodded. "Though odds are, he'd have tried it the first time... for us, anyways... if he was inclined to."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "We wouldn't know if Feral didn't tell us. That nut-case had reason to be more vindictive than sane," Jake pointed out, then relaxed back and closed his eyes briefly. "Regardless, we'll make it."

"If he tries, we can always take off," Chance shrugged as the airship touched down, the huge blimp resting lightly as they tossed anchors down. "C'mon, don't focus on that too much - these things had full kitchens on board," he grinned, climbing out to greet them.

"Going our way?" He asked the well-dressed scouts with a cheerful tone.

"Eventually," an Ensign said, struggling to look at Chance instead of the strange craft Jake was climbing out of. "We do have a patrol to finish."

"If you could give us directions to the nearest base and call ahead so they don't try to shoot us down, it'd work," Chance offered. "Captains Clawson and Furlong," he added, though he was sure they'd be recognized. "Just got dumped here."

"I'm sure Commander Vidon will want to see you if you can make it to the city, sir," he suggested.

"We're not sure if we can," Chance offered. "We're flying an unfamiliar craft, we don't know what its functional range is."

It was true enough, even if he _was_ pretty sure they could get back.

"Yes, sir," the Ensign nodded. "The cook can whip up a quick meal for you first, if you'd like," he glanced briefly at Jake's expression. "The nearest base is Atelum, about three hundred miles east."

"You're a lifesaver, Ensign," Chance grinned. "Thanks for the offer, and the directions... maybe you can bring us up to speed on the war's progress, while we wait?" He suggested.

"The war is over, sir," he looked a bit alarmed even as he motioned them to the rope ladder. "It ended twelve months, two weeks and six days ago."

"We weren't aware, though I suspect it had," Chance nodded, taking the ladder and climbing it. "It would be odd to see a ship like this out during the war. So, Lothos surrendered after the bomb?" He asked, more quietly, once he'd reached the deck.

"Yes," the Ensign nodded. "It took five strikes, but they surrendered."

"Well I'll be," a mature tom's voice greeted them. "Folks were wondering what happened to you two," the Captain chuckled. "Are you going to stay with us for our patrol?"

"More likely going back to base after we've gotten a half-decent meal," Chance chuckled back, saluting the Captain. "We need to get caught up on what's happened while we were out of circulation, and find a place to inspect our vehicle," he said, indicating the craft in the clearing below them. "Glad you guys came along, I was heading out to try and hunt something up, but it's been a while since I've lived off the land out here."

"We can offer much better than living off the land," the Captain grinned. "Ensign Corul, see they have a good meal and something to eat on their way to base."

"Yes sir," he saluted quickly. "This way, sirs."

Chance nodded, following him along with Jake, glad to see they were apparently welcome sights. Before long, they were in the mess with a hot meal in front of each of them, better than most served at bases that Chance remembered.

"You guys get pretty good eats," he observed.

"Very good," Jake agreed before digging into the thick steak with a rich glaze that was the centerpiece of their meal.

"With all the supply lines open, the Enforcers posted out of country have gotten the rewards," the Ensign nodded with a slight smile. "The obs capabilities help too. Between storage, stability and status, it's good to be here."

"Sure beats being a grunt," Chance grinned between bites. "So, mind giving us the highlights of the last year or so? If I remember right, the Lynx went down by the Manx over Megakat City Bay right at the end... am I mixed up there?"

"No, sir," he shook his head slightly. "The Lynx is still in the bay, but Manx didn't last much longer. I'm sorry sir."

"A pity we couldn't be there to help out," Chance sighed. "How long has it been since we were around last?"

"Twelve months, two weeks and four days, sir," he said. "You missed the surrender ceremony by less than two days."

"That... makes sense, actually," Chance nodded. "Guess we just missed the Manx's final flight. Do they have any idea what the effects on the population from the bombs has been yet?"

"I don't think anybody really think it's a big deal yet," he said thoughtfully. "We're the only one with it, and the war is over. Maybe if we have an enemy again that has one...." he shuddered just at the thought. "I just hope there's a defense by then."

"I was wondering more about the people in the area, especially after five of them. Unfortunately, right about now, I think the only defense is probably going to be shooting them down for a while," Chance admitted, though he didn't say that it was still the only real defense in _his_ time.

That set the Ensign back, trying to figure out what he was being asked for. "Umm, they would be rebuilding what was blown up."

"Makes sense," Chance nodded, his historical curiosity on the subject satisfied for now. "Wondering if they'd even bothered, this recently after the bombs," he explained, brushing over the real reason. "There's some debate about how long it took them in our time."

"I don't really know, sir," he admitted. "Our patrol does not go over the strike zones. I am not sure anyone does. Would you like seconds?" he glanced at Jake's empty plate.

After only a moment's hesitation, Jake nodded. "That would be good."

"Captain Furlong?" he glanced at Chance.

"Sure, the food's great," the tabby grinned.

"Just a moment, then," the Ensign nodded and moved off quickly, towards the kitchen.

"After we finish eating, we should head back for the base, contact MKC from there," Chance said quietly. "Anything you want to find out about before we get going?"

"We know the date, we know we have to deal with Vidon again, the war's over, and we know this is, for them, at least our fourth visit." Jake shook his head. "I think that covers the basics."

"And I've asked about all the questions I can for the historian in me without breaking classified info," Chance chuckled lowly. "Eat your fill, buddy, take advantage of the facilities while we've got 'em," he recommended. "If we're lucky, we'll be largely unemployed when we get back. We're still a few decades off the next time they'll be needing us."

"I'm hoping that the ship has some temporal capabilities that I can harness to get us home before then," Jake murmured as he sopped up the last of the gravy and steak-juice with a fresh-baked, fluffy white dinner roll. He suddenly paused as he lifted it up. "You realize we're also a couple decades before the first fast food?"

"Heh - I've got an insider track on that one," Chance winked. "We're a few decades ahead of fast food, but I happen to know one Furlong-owned burger joint that's been in business since the end of the war. If we get home soon, we should be there in time for the grand opening."

"Now _that_ is something worth showing up for," Jake grinned. "The party must have been huge."

"Mmm ... and now that we're not serving in wartime, maybe we can show up at a couple other places I know," Chance grinned back, getting into a better mood about the situation. "Who knows, maybe we tried that little experiment of yours while we were here."

"It's worth a check, if nothing else," he agreed with a nod and a slightly better mood, between a good meal and the outlook for the next few weeks. "I just hope Vidon is in a better mood than the last time we saw him."

"Couldn't be much worse," Chance said dryly. "I'll try not to hold it against him first," he promised as their food came back.

"So will I," Jake promised.


	26. After War, Before Respect

"Got it!" Jake cheered. "Atelum Island Base, do you copy, over?"

"This is Atelum Island Base. Who are you? Over," a professional female voice answered.

"Captain Furlong and Clawson of the MKC Enforcers requesting clearance to land and conduct repairs on our plane, over."

"Clearance granted. ETA? Over?"

"Forty-five minutes. We will be arriving in a non-standard vehicle," Jake warned them. "Moreso than usual. Primarily silver, very aerodynamic design, no wings. Over."

"Acknowledged. We will be expecting you, Enforcers, over, and out."

Jake clicked the radio off as Chance took off and powered up to their regular jet cruising speed.

"Well, at least they didn't sound like they were planning on dropping us in the brig once we step out," Chance offered cheerfully.

"Let's hope the base CO doesn't think differently than the one on the radio," Jake said and tried to relax. "Have you given any thought to not flying for the Enforcers on this trip?"

"Given we'd be flying this thing? I'll be glad for it," Chance pointed out. "I can work it, but it's not my favorite. Probably take up exhibition flying."

"I know I can count on my kin to help us out until we're on our feet. What about yours?"

"Given they don't know me? I can probably get away with passing myself off as a cousin who came into town for the war, if I have to cover up the time-shifting. If not, they'll probably do their best anyways. I won't have the bad blood, back now," Chance mused.

"True," Jake agreed. "So either way, we won't have to worry about basic needs. Yours could probably hide us better, mine have better resources."

"And between both, we oughta be pretty well off," Chance nodded. "And in a position to help 'em out a little, possibly."

"Quite likely," Jake agreed. "You're too good to not do well on the exhibition circuit. Are you ready to fight and hide if they try to take this away from us?" he asked more quietly.

"I've already got a few places in mind they couldn't reach," Chance nodded slightly. "Actually, I was considering dropping it off in one of them and walking to HQ; it'll be easier to lie long enough for us to run back to it than fight our way to it if they decide to try and keep it and it's at HQ."

"If we take our time at the Atelum or where we're hiding it, I can rig a security system to make it nasty for anyone but us to try and access it," Jake offered thoughtfully.

"I doubt we'll have any problems at Atelum," Chance said. "And probably better supplies. It'd take weeks to send a ship all the way there to get it without us flying it in, and I'm sure they don't have a pilot who can handle it."

"I'll do it there then," Jake nodded, watching the view screen. "It's a little weird not to be able to see out if we lose power."

"Tell me about it," Chance murmured. "But there are some advantages, I suppose, given how this thing works. You can see where you're going without turning around, if we pull into reverse."

"True," Jake nodded thoughtfully. "Anything else you like about this beast?"

"Honestly, if I just knew what the controls meant, and it didn't have this damn two-stick setup, I'd probably be happy with it," Chance admitted. "It's got more in the way of maneuverability than anything I've seen... think I could go straight backwards from full speed without hurting it, if I wanted to."

"And with this viewscreen setup, you'd hardly know," Jake nodded. "I think I can get the controls sorted out in a couple weeks, if I got to work solid on it. Probably convert it to a single stick control, like you're used to."

"Be careful about converting too much," Chance said seriously. "When we get home, we'll need to figure out what they've got fast."

"Buddy, I have to know how it works to change it," Jake gave him an amused smile and started to relax now that they weren't going to stay Enforcers under Vidon. "I'll be careful though. Are we going to resign when we first talk to him?"

"I'm inclined to see how it goes," Chance shrugged slightly. "After all, if he's willing to let things stand, I could always work as an instructor instead."

"True," Jake nodded. "You can pick up how to fly a biplane easily enough. Are you asking me to stay too?"

"Not unless you want to," Chance said, shaking his head. "I'm just not sure we can trust Vidon to _not_ make our resignations binding when we get back, somehow."

"Feral can reinstate our commissions," Jake pointed out. "But if it comes down to serving under Vidon in peacetime or not serving when we get home ... I'll find a new job when we get home. Besides, the more time I can put into this thing, the faster we'll get home."

"I'll give you that one," Chance nodded. "At least now we shouldn't be stuck flying all the time, and in barracks when we aren't," he grumbled.

"Definitely not," Jake shuddered. "That was a hell I really hope we don't repeat more than the twice more we know about."

"With any luck, we don't even do it those times," Chance offered. "Might get off-base, with everything else, so we don't corrupt the others," he rolled his eyes. "Might want to radio in, we're almost there," he said as the small mid-ocean base came into sight.

"Atelum Island Base this is Enforcer Captains Furlong and Clawson, we have you in sight, do you copy, over?"

"This is Atelum Island Base. You are cleared to land. Over."

"Understood, Atelum. Over and out." Jake said. "I'm guessing there's only one place to land."

"At this point, it's all they'd have," Chance agreed, pulling in for a low approach at a relatively high speed. "Weird, how we don't really _feel_ the G's in this thing, isn't it?" He asked idly as they came in.

"It is," Jake nodded. "Does that mess with you much?"

"Nah," Chance chuckled. "I'm just commenting, that's all. It flies beautifully," he pointed out. "Don't think there's anything on the planet that'd match it in our time, even experimental." He opened the hatch as they touched down.

"I'm quite sure of it," Jake agreed.

"Sir?" A young Lieutenant said, saluting them as they climbed out. "It looked as though something strange happened to the runway as you landed, are you sure it's intact?"

"Everything else we've landed on was," Chance promised.

"The runway will be fine," Jake agreed. "Is there a set of mechanic tools I can use for a few days?"

"Yes sir, but we've received a request from the mainland that you contact HQ as soon as possible," Lieutenant Briggs informed them.

"All right," Chance nodded. "Might as well get that over with now then. Show us to the radio room."

Briggs nodded, turning to lead the way as Chance and Jake followed, Chance at least clearly a little more worried than he had been when they arrived. He'd have thought there'd be a brief break, at least. Maybe they just wanted an update on the craft.

The small facility, never much more than a gas station and radio relay, took only a few minutes to reach the hardened bunker that housed the control center relatively safe from enemy bombs.

"Welcome to Atelum," a peach-furred, white-blond shekat greeted them cheerfully. "Commander Vidon is on the line."

"A pleasure to be here, Ensign Briggs," Chance said after a moment of surprise, sure he was right about the family resemblance. "How did he sound?" He asked as he sat down at one of the mic's.

"Happy, but not in a good way, sir," she said very quietly, blushing to be recognized by sight by someone so famous and high-ranked.

"Wonderful," Chance muttered, shaking his head before keying the mic. "This is Captain Furlong, reporting from Atelum Base, over," he said.

"I thought I had lost the opportunity to congratulate you on ending the war," the Commander did indeed sound pleased, in that having a mouse pinned way that make Jake twitch. "How long before you will arrive at MKC Headquarters with your new craft? Over."

"Hard to be sure," Chance admitted. "It should be just a day or so, assuming there are no difficulties. We came back in the middle of a battle, we need to check for damage, fuel, that sort of thing, over," he said, listing the easy delays.

"Very well. Report in at Headquarters as soon as you are able, over," he ordered.

"Yes sir," Chance said, a little surprised - and more than a little worried - that the conversation had been so brief. "Atelum Base out." He shut down the circuit, then handed the mic back to Ensign Briggs. "Well, that was brief ... we'd better get to work. Do we have anywhere to sleep while we're working on repairs? We've been flying pretty steady for over eight hours," he admitted.

Jake's expression when he stood and turned around confirmed that he wasn't the only one expecting something to go sideways when they did report in person.

"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Briggs nodded. "I'll show you to the visiting officer's quarters and the dining room."

"Thank you," Chance nodded, glancing back at the Ensign with a smile. "Maybe we'll see you later," he told her, before following the Lieutenant out.

"Maybe, sir," she smiled shyly.

"What do you remember about her?" Jake asked for a different topic after they were out of the bunker.

"Not much of anything," Chance admitted. "If I'd read up on the Briggs family more, maybe I'd know something, but my details on her amounts to 'Deputy Mayor Briggs' grandmother was a radio operator during and after the war.'"

"The family resemblance sure is strong," Jake said. "From Callista to her to Callie," he shook his head in amusement. "We keep running into them too."

"Maybe it's a sign," Chance chuckled lowly. "Are you going to want to rest a bit first, or get straight to work?"

"I've got a few hours of work in me first," he said as they made note of where meals were served and when.

"Just checking," Chance nodded. "I'll stick with you, want to try and figure out those controls - be better to know about how everything works for both of us."

"Agreed," Jake nodded.

"That is not your craft?" Lieutenant Briggs looked at them curiously.

"We captured it while on a mission in our own time," Chance admitted. "We're still figuring out all the ins and outs of its functions."

"You fly it very well for something so strange," he said and offered a pair of keys to them. "It's pretty basic. We're a small base in the middle of nowhere."

"It beats the communal barracks we were stuck in during most of the war," Chance reassured him. "Thanks," he said, unlocking the door and letting the quarters air a bit, looking around briefly. It was what the Lieutenant had said; simple but clean. About what a NCO could expect for larger bases.

"Yours is this one, sir," Briggs motioned Jake towards the adjoining room, much to the lean tom's surprise. "You aren't used to your own quarters?"

"It's been a long time," Jake said sheepishly. "We were lucky to get one room for the two of us for most of the war, and open barracks for the rest."

"I remember those conditions, when a whole strike force had to stay over," he nodded. "Everybody doubled up. It's not that crowded anymore."

"Thank goodness for that... what're the sort of options for a pilot/gunner team these days?" Chance asked curiously. "Not much need for us on the front these days."

"There are plenty of little wars still, and city defense," he assured them. "We're still flying patrols all over the world."

"We'll keep it in mind," Chance nodded. "Right now, we're hoping to get some time to learn more about the craft we got, honestly, so a little down-time won't be bad."

"I'm sure no one will think it odd if you take a few extra days before heading to the city," he smiled slightly. "If you need anything, everyone on base knows where everything is. There's only twenty of us right now. If you can make it to the meals, it would be appreciated."

"We'll do our best - even if I have to drag him off the project," Chance grinned. "We'll see you around, Lieutenant...?" He trailed off, not sure what his name was.

"Briggs, sir," he said. "I'll introduce everyone at dinner."

"Thanks," Chance nodded, not letting his slightly sheepish reaction to hearing the name show. "We'd better get to work; we'll meet you at dinner," he smiled, turning to go to their ship along with Jake.

"Well, he's not the jealous type," he observed.

"Hu?" Jake blinked at him, utterly at a loss.

"Well, either he's Callie's grandfather, or great uncle," Chance pointed out. "Nice guy, it seems."

"From his reaction, he doesn't have much reason to dislike you," Jake pointed out. "It's not like he knows you'll sleep with anything in a skirt," he teased.

"Psh - only if it's okay with both of them," Chance smirked. "Maybe we'll find out at dinner, maybe not... remember when we ended up in the Dark Ages?"

"I try to blot that out most days, honestly," he shook his head as they opened their strange craft and stepped inside. "Have fun with the controls while I see if I can make more sense of everything else."

"Will do," Chance nodded. "Lemme know if you figure out anything of their language; I'm going to be working on that, for the most part. Oh, and let me know if I start something I shouldn't," he added sheepishly, taking his seat and beginning his inspection.

"I will," Jake promised before he leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Just be careful if you play with her; make sure she has nothing to complain about. We do not need anybody angry with us here."

"Like they _ever_ complain," Chance smirked, turning to kiss Jake back lightly and found a bit more heat that he expected. "Another advantage of that viewscreen - they can't see in."

"Very true," Jake rumbled softly. "Did you see if there were any spare clothes in our quarters, or shampoo?"

"Shampoo, yes. Clothes, I'm not sure, but probably - standard-issue togs if nothing else. We could get some if not. So... any thoughts on heading back to HQ now?"

"Mmm, I think the idea of hiding it somewhere and walking in is the best, unless I can work out the security system and a remote control for this that they can't take from us. It's technically breaking orders, but we're resigning anyway."

"True," Chance nodded. "I just worry that he might try locking us up for insubordination until he finds it... maybe we can use what they said about the landing as an excuse?"

"About it looking weird," Jake leaned back in his seat thoughtfully. "You know, that might just work. I should get a look at it in action too, before we leave."

"You wanna climb out, I'll move it?" Chance offered. "Just stand well clear. If it's got some sort of screwy radiation, I don't want you getting zapped."

"Sure," Jake nodded and slipped out of his seat to leave. "Lift off, take a loop around the island and land again."

"Will do," Chance nodded.

Jake stepped outside and jogged a good distance away before he turned and signaled Chance to lift off. He kept all his sense sharp and trained on the alien craft, but it's first movement, and the warping shimmer that seemed to make it jump through the movements instead of fly shook him out of his analytical mind for a moment, then kicked it into high gear.

By the time Chance landed, Jake was scowling despite his elevated heart rate.

Instead of climbing on board again, Jake walked all the way around the boxy, cylinder of a craft, putting his hands lightly along the entire circumference.

"Find anything?" Chance asked, sticking his head out as Jake realized that the craft had no hot spots, no indications that it was running any sort of engine.

"Just ... well, nothing," he answered uneasily. "No engine, no heat ... if it's what I suspect ... I think it's actually moving by warping space."

"How the heck would that work?" Chance frowned.

"In theory, it would compress the space in the direction you want to go, and expand it in the opposite direction, and the craft would shifted. The larger the space being warped, the faster you would go relative to what's around you," Jake explained carefully as he dredged up what had been theoretical trivia. "We didn't feel any G's because, from inside the craft, we weren't actually moving. It wouldn't have any stresses from speed, atmosphere, maneuvers ... or a top speed limit. At least in theory."

"Okay... now I know what that means... how the fuck does it _work_?" Chance asked him with a blink. "Is it safe?"

"Safe, yes," Jake nodded and climbed back in. "How it works ... a huge amount of power and technology that makes something we only had contested theories about before now true."

"Does it answer the question of how we got back here?" Chance asked him hopefully.

"It could," Jake said, less than convinced. "Whether time travel is really dimensional travel is still under heavy debate. If it is, then the weapon discharge could have shunted us into a parallel dimension that just seems to be an earlier time, or maybe into an earlier time. We're talking about a drive system that _I_ haven't even bothered investigating. It's that far ahead of anything we can build."

"Jake? _Please_ tell me you've got some indication that this is an advanced prototype," Chance asked him hopefully.

"I couldn't say without knowing what else they have, but from the fighters we did see ... no, I think this is a small shuttle. Not even cutting edge," he shook his head as he took his seat and hooked his palmtop back up.

"We are _so_ fucked," Chance murmured, shaking his head. "Why haven't they already come after us?"

"Still in the study phase, maybe," Jake offered hopefully. "Or we're insanely lucky and they aren't that aggressive."

"There _are_ logical reasons to shoot first, ask questions later," Chance admitted. "Some, anyways. It'd be nice if the first group we came across that wasn't trying to take over were the ones this advanced - probably have a lot of pull with anybody else they've run into."

"Or if they are, maybe we'll be lucky and they treat their conquests like the Ancient Imitia and just charge taxes, but we get tech," Jake said absently as he struggled not to see it as a hopeless situation.

"Well, whatever they've got, it can't be time travel on an _intentional_ level, or they'd have come further back in time," Chance pointed out. "It's possible they're not quite ready for Aristal just yet, y'know?"

"It could be intentional, but only viable in a vehicle this size," Jake suggested. "Enough they know how, but not how to do it en mass. And quite possible. For all we know those are scouts and going to report back that it's not worth the grief. What we saw doesn't seem to be enough for an invasion force, or even the staging ground for one."

"Best case scenario," Chance nodded. "Heh - that, or we manage to get the Omegas working for us. Could you imagine the damage Hard Drive could do to those guys, if his Surge Suit is compatible?"

Jake couldn't help but laugh. "He'd actually be quite willing, I'm sure. Though their greatest threat will be Past Master and Dark Kat. Can you imagine either of them letting someone else take over?"

"No, but they're the most vulnerable too. Dark Kat, at least," Chance pointed out. "Hell, we're living proof that sufficient skill and good tech will take Dark Kat down - as long as he doesn't capture any of their gear, they could take his Dreadnoughts down pretty easy, with what we saw of their weapons. Past Master would be harder, but you wanna put down money that they haven't got a solution for time-jumpers? I'm guessing that more traditional mages will be their main problem, if they don't have magic themselves. It always seems to be, for the tech types. Present company excepted," he smiled at Jake.

"I've been told more than once that the TurboKat must be half-magic," Jake chuckled. "But yeah, if they aren't friendly, we are in trouble. They aren't the only high-tech alien we've taken down though. Remember Mutalor? And those guys with green shields were even worse."

"Oh, I remember them," Chance nodded. "The bright side was that they weren't expecting us to launch missiles up their collective asses from the start."

"Who is?" he chuckled. "I have to admit, it was a blast getting my hands on that fighter of theirs while it lasted."

"Yeah, though she didn't fly like this one," Chance chuckled, pressing some of the buttons. "I _think_ I might have security systems here, but no clue how they work yet," he offered, considering the symbols.

"Bingo!" Jake cheered suddenly. "I just found a _huge_ data file. We'll have a basic language translation in a day or so."

"Cool," Chance grinned. "So, grab a nap and some dinner while we wait?"

"It sounds like a plan," Jake grinned back and leaned over to claim a very solid, lingering kiss. "At least this base is small and seems friendly. It is too bad we don't share a room though."

"You think we couldn't?" Chance chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Don't think they'll check what room we're in."

"True," Jake murmured. "Someone might notice, but if you'll risk it, I'm willing," he leaned forward for another lingering kiss with a bit more heat to it.

"It's just for a night," Chance pointed out. "Want to take advantage of our privacy here?"

Jake got a wicked look on his face. "Is my hotshot pilot up for flying this while I have a little fun?" he leaned over to play his fingers along the tabby's crotch.

"Any reason to bother with the trip?" Chance chuckled. "We don't _need_ to go anywhere," he winked, pressing into Jake's touch.

"Because I get off when you have to struggle," Jake purred deeply. "The risk of falling out of the sky if you aren't as good as I think you are."

"All right then," Chance chuckled, sliding the controls to take off. "Anywhere you care to go while we're out, or just a spin around?"

"Somewhere warm, with a deserted sandy beach," he suggested throatily purr as he settled between his partner's legs and lightly unzipped his flight suit, exposing Chance's broad chest covered only by a thin, sweat-soaked t-shirt as he worked his way down. "I love your body, the way you smell when you've been working out."

"Not much of a workout, but cooped up in here ought to be a good substitute ... care to give me a show while we fly?" Chance rumbled as he started off.

"Sure," Jake chuckled, pausing with the front zipped just above Chance's sheath to do a much faster job of removing his own flight suit. "I still get the best show," he rumbled and nuzzled his mate's groin before exposing it.

"Mmm... I'll debate that with you later," Chance grinned, glancing down at Jake's ass as the cinnamon-furred tom nuzzled his crotch. "You _do_ have a cute ass, you know that?"

"So you keep saying," he said before sliding his tongue from the base of the soft, golden sheath to the tip of Chance's nearly-hard cock.

"Mmm ... mostly because you don't believe me," Chance groaned, getting on a straight line path and sparring a hand to rub Jake's ears lightly, scratching his way down the lean tom's neck and back before Jake swallowed him to the sheath and began to suck, bobbing his head up and down while his tongue went to work.

"Fuck yeah," Chance groaned. "Mmm... anything on here to help with the smell, or bath after we land?" He asked, scratching Jake's neck lightly.

Jake sucked hard on his way up, swirled his tongue around the head of Chance's cock. "A swim in the ocean," he suggested before going down on his partner again.

"Works for me," Chance rumbled, thrusting lightly into Jake's mouth. "Want me to hold back on you?"

A quick hand signal indicated no, and the tabby grinned. He rubbed Jake's ears, getting a feel for how subby he was feeling. With a low rumble he closed a large hand around the back of Jake's head, holding his nose against his crotch and began to thrust with growing abandon.

One hand kept on the controls, guiding their trajectory. He knew he'd never lose control to the point they'd crash, but it was hot to think about the kind of risks that turned his mate on. Watching him in the middle of a gang band topped the list though.

Fuck that had been hot.

Jake really was just too damn easy to fuck.

Chance roared as he came, pumping his seed into Jake's hungry mouth before pulling the tom up to kiss him, his cock still oozing as it rubbed against his mate's.

"Give me one good reason not to bend you over the back of your seat and fuck you raw," he rumbled lowly after their lips parted, a bit of his come glistening between their lips for a brief moment before Jake licked it back up.

"Nothing's coming to mind," Jake shivered eagerly, licking Chance's mouth to get another passionate kiss.

Chance adjusted something, leaving them stopped mid-air before he stood up and stripped his pants off the rest of the way, pressing Jake against the back of his seat.

"Face to face, or me against your back?" He asked, giving him a chance to decide.

"Against my back," Jake moaned needily, claiming a last kiss before he shifted to turn around.

Chance grabbed Jake's ass possessively, his claws coming out a bit to prick his mate's thighs as he moved so they'd have enough room. Leaning forward to bite Jake's scruff, he sank his thick, throbbing cock into Jake's ass, growling lowly as he throbbed inside the smaller tom.

"Oh yeah," Jake moaned, his body trembling as he held back a bit, wanting to feel his mate deep inside him and the thrusting he knew was coming before he gave into the lust completely.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think I'd been neglecting you," Chance rumbled, starting to thrust hard and deep, not bothering to build up or let Jake adjust for more than a moment before he was slamming into the lean tom's ass. He knew all too well that he mate didn't need it, and most days didn't want it.

"Ohhh, not possible," he moaned deeply, nearly whimpering in the pleasure rippling through his body from the pounding. "Remember ... ahh ... how often before you?"

"Then I must be spoiling you, for your ass to be this hungry for me already," Chance grinned, angling to rub along his mate's prostate to gain a long, hot moan.

"You, oh yeah, know you do," Jake whimpered, his cock hard and throbbing as he couldn't hold back any more. With a roaring cry his body clamped down on his mate's shaft and sprayed the seat with his seed.

Chance roared himself, the sound incredibly loud in the small ship, while he pumped his balls' contents into Jake's bottom, biting down hard on his mate's scruff while he did, kneading his ass with his claws.

" _Fuck_ I love playing with you like this," he panted when they were finished.

"Love what you do to me," Jake purred himself, his body lax as he turned his head to lick Chance's cheek affectionately. "I'm guessing the autopilot works?"

"Mmm ... apparently, however this thing flies, it can also ignore gravity," Chance explained. "We're holding still for now. So, island to clean off, then back in?"

"I'd like that," Jake purred. "Or we can just set down on the water and swim."

"I want a fixed location," Chance chuckled. "I trust it to stay still - I don't trust us to be able to _find_ it if a current catches us." Not bothering to dress again, he got into his seat and took off, heading for a safe touchdown place.


	27. Meeting The Commander

"Think we'll be able to get back to the city before sunrise?" Chance asked Jake as he carefully flew the shuttle into a small cave that would one day become home to a family of mutant scorpions. For now though, it was just a played out mine that was home to a load of metal nobody could work with ... agracite, fortunately, wouldn't be _useful_ for a few decades yet.

"If we stop in at the salvage yard or somewhere to call a cab, sure," he nodded. "A double-time march will make good time to where taxis go."

"Good," Chance nodded, touching down and opening up. "If we use some of the cave dust, we should be able to make it harder for them to spot, and we can use NEC to mark the cave entrance so we know which one for sure."

"Good," Jake agreed as he stood and followed his partner out. He set the security system on and went to work with the tabby to conceal and mark their craft and cave. "You're still good with me resigning?" he asked when they were finished and paused at the edge of the cave, looking out at their city, only half the size of the one they grew up in, across an expanse of dusty nothingness.

"If you still think that's the way to go," Chance nodded. "Honestly, I suspect I will be too... getting resigned, if nothing else. Vidon _was_ too cheerful when we called, I doubt that'll last."

"Do you want to start with my family or yours, to help us get on our feet here?" Jake asked softly as they began the fast march to the edge of town.

"Sweet Bastet, _mine_ ," Chance said, shaking his head as he thought about it. "Before they get a chance to hear somebody else's version of the resignation. I want to make the first impressions myself, not through Vidon or his cronies."

"Gotcha," Jake nodded. "I was kinda thinking the same, since my grandfather is an Enforcer. We're a tighter knit family though."

"We can try hitting them both pretty soon," Chance offered. "Was your grandmother really set up by this time?"

"Oh yes. The family brownstone was a gift for her first marriage from her mother," he nodded. "It's in her name."

Chance nodded slightly.

"I was wondering more about the art end of things," he explained. "Don't know much about that sort of history," he admitted sheepishly.

"Well enough she could support herself, my mother and uncle and the house on her own," he said. "I didn't learn a lot of the exact dates, but she must be doing well enough now. Grandpa'll be dead in a couple years."

"Noted," Chance nodded slightly. "With any luck, we'll get both sides of the family squared away before Vidon screws things up for us... we have any sort of a cover beyond wanting out for now?"

"I pretty much have to go with the truth," Jake admitted. "My family is far too well-recorded for much else to be accepted. Besides, grandpa will know about the time travel, being an Enforcer."

"I meant for going from full fledged war heroes to resigning in nothing flat," Chance chuckled. "Glad I didn't pick somewhere _further_ from the city to hide it," he muttered lowly.

"Pretty much the truth. That we couldn't stand to serve under Vidon in peacetime," Jake shrugged slightly. "We don't have to say why, but we can go with the inconsistent way he treats his officers and us, with what we knew. After all, he didn't outlast the war by much. He'll resign himself in a year and some."

"True," Chance agreed. "Hopefully, your grandfather will buy it without more of an explanation. It wasn't really morale that made him resign, it was that his style wasn't set for peacetime."

"I expect grandpa will buy it. He was a beat cop; not into the politics much." Jake shrugged. "If not, oh well. It never came back to bite me when I was born."

"You've got a point there," Chance chuckled slightly. "So, anywhere you ever wanted to go back around now?"

"Honestly, no," he admitted. "This time sucks for technology and everything else I find interesting."

"Unless you want to be there for the start of some of it," Chance smiled. "Well, while you're figuring out how to get us home, I want to be sure I drag you out _once_ in a while. Couple places I'd like to check out, while they're still fairly new, or socially acceptable to drop by."

"Just don't drag me out too often, or we'll get home the slow way," Jake shook his head in amusement. "I'm sure you'll find plenty to keep yourself busy these days."

"Yeah, I just don't want you working yourself half to death," Chance smiled. "I know you'll do it if I let you."

"I'm not that bad," Jake huffed in mock offence.

"Sure you're not," Chance smirked. "Hey, let's see if we can get a ride at the farmhouse up there," he said, noticing lights on top of a hill and heading up the driveway. They both froze at the frantic, sharp barking of a dog, then more.

Jake's fur bristled as he dropped into a fighting stance without thinking, every bit of training and experience screaming at him that he was about to mobbed by some very nasty canines.

After a matching moment of tension, Chance kept going, motioning for Jake to follow him.

"He's just doin' his job, buddy - they're all leashed up or inside, just listen. Be more worried about the shotgun probably waiting for us," he chuckled grimly, though he pulled his badge out where it was obvious, to be sure anybody who saw him could ID him as an Enforcer.

"Right," Jake murmured and followed suit, though his fur wasn't settled by the time they reached the edge of the dog's chain in the front of the old but well-maintained farmhouse on a slight hill.

"Who're'yah!" An irate voice demanded from the shadowed front porch.

They could both see the strongly-built, aging tom there with a heavy shotgun not quite raised at them.

"Enforcer Captains Furlong and Clawson," Chance said. "We were flying in to town but had to set down in the Badlands; we were hoping we could call somebody for a ride back into HQ?" He asked hopefully, making sure he was as easy to see as possible.

"Enforcers, 'ea?" the farm grunted, then lowered his shotgun and stepped out from the shadows to meet them where they were and looked the dusty, sweaty pair up and down. "Y' look like 'ye could use a shower and grub first."

"We could, but we didn't want to impose," Chance admitted. "We were just hoping for a phone call, figured we'd do the rest at the base."

The old kat grunted again. "'less ya need back quick, cum'clen'up. Wife'll make ya some grub. Ma boy'll drive you in," he said before turning back to the house and shooing the dog back to its tree. "I'z not hav't said the Greesim'r not grateful for yr service."

"Thank you, Sir," Chance smiled, honestly grateful. "The hike in from the Badlands isn't really good for uniforms," he admitted with a sheepish half-grin, walking up to the door and taking in what he could see of the home. A small staircase lead up, a kitchen could be seen to the left, and the living room, thick with chairs and a large fireplace, was also the entry room.

"'imag'n not," he nodded and put the shotgun on the mantle, it's likely home. "We'd'n've phone. The bath's in back. M'boy'll bring ya someth'n ta wear while those dry," he motioned to the hall to the side of the stairs.

"Thank you," Chance nodded. "Jake, you want to go first?" He offered.

"Thanks," he nodded and headed back.

* * *

Chance spared a quick glance at his partner before they entered the Commander's office to face the Lion that had lead the free world to victory over the Wolves of Lothos. All the nervous energy Jake had exhibited until a few minutes ago was gone.

It was something that the tabby could relate to. It was calming when you knew exactly what was going down and were at peace with it.

It wasn't something Chance had the benefit of right now. No matter how it went down, this was going to hurt, and he wasn't really at peace with it at all.

Reflex guided them to attention in front of the Lion and the salute.

"At ease," Commander Vidon ordered, a twitch above his fangs the first sign that he was less than pleased to be seeing them. "Where are the others? Your Black Knights."

"They weren't along when we got thrown back this time, Sir," Chance explained, making a mental note that one of these times, they would be. "We were caught by surprise; our best guess is that the interaction between two different alien technologies is what sent us here."

The great Lion nodded, making a few mental notes to himself. "What happened to the craft to you arrived in?"

"We discovered that the drive causes some sort of instability in the surfaces it touches or moves across," Chance explained. "It's a temporary effect, but given that our experience already showed it can interact badly with weapons that it _was_ designed to deal with, we didn't want to take the chance that the instability might damage anything kept here. Especially not the last bombs," the tabby pointed out.

Commander Vidon nodded and leaned back slightly in his chair to survey the pair in their strange uniforms. "I expect you are planning to resign your commissions based on the last time you saw me. Hear me out first." He paused, giving the pair, and Jake in particular, an opening to speak before he continued. "If Furlong agrees keep his commission and train my pilots for city defense, for what is to come, and you," he focused on Jake, "help Pumadyne develop the CRD-13, with or without your commission, nothing will be brought up about our clashes."

"And if we do leave?" Chance asked evenly, not liking the implied threat, but pretty sure that Vidon was smart enough to realize that he wouldn't get far claiming that the two of them were the trouble he thought.

"Nothing," he said simply. "You'll be on your own, but I'll make no trouble for you."

"...You don't _want_ us to stay, do you," Chance stated, confident of it. There was too much going on here for Vidon to be willingly doing all this.

"Of course not, but I am a Kat of my word," the Lion told him.

"And so are we," Chance pointed out. "I don't know what 'word' you're talking about, but it's probably best for everybody if we just part ways and leave it at that. I might be willing to train pilots, but I think we both know that it's not likely to work well in the long term. Besides, I could train them on jets, but the planes you have now... I'm not the best Kat."

"Very well," Vidon nodded. "The paperwork will take a few days to process. I do not expect you to report in until it is ready to sign."

"Is there anybody we should tell this ended on good terms?" Chance asked him. "Or just be on our way?"

"Your wingleader would want to know," he said simply. "You are dismissed."

"What the heck does she have on him?" Chance murmured after the door was closed behind the two of them. "I thought that was going to go a lot worse, for a while."

"Knowing Kathie, it could be faked," Jake kept his voice low as they entered an empty elevator to reach street level. "She's had plenty of time to either dig it up or fabricate something."

"Or she _will_ have," Chance agreed. "So, where next?"

"Probably my family first, just to say hello," Jake suggested. "Then you family later today. We can figure out who we ask to stay with after we get a feel for them both."

"Actually... better place might be the bank," Chance pointed out. "We've got our paychecks from before to pick up, I think, and it'll be easier to get there if we have some cash."

"We probably won't get our paychecks, if they're anything, until the papers are signed," Jake pointed out. "Though it wouldn't hurt to stop by payroll and see if we have anything coming. You're right about the bank though. At least one trip we made we knew we'd be coming back after the war and would need funding. We may have set up an account or something to help ourselves out."

"So, any idea what bank _you'd_ have trusted?" Chance asked him. "I probably would have gone with you," he chuckled lowly.

"Given the prep I've already made, we should probably check in with Talbot and Whiteclaw," Jake said after a moment of thought. "I don't know where our money would be, but I'd have hired them to invest and manage it, with notes from me."

"Any idea when they'll open? We might be best off staying the night with your family, then checking in later in the morning."

"Works for me," Jake nodded before the doors opened to the main floor of Enforcer headquarters decades before the Tower was first built. "So check in with payroll, drop in on my family, check in with T&W, and drop in on your family. Sounds like a busy couple days."

"And at some point, get back out to the Badlands and recover the ship," Chance chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like it."

* * *

"Thanks for the lift, Toby," Chance waved at current the Black Knight wingleader as he pulled away from the brownstone that would still be in the family a century later. "Kinda strange, being the longest-serving Knights around," he mused. "So, ready to meet your grandmother?"

"As I'll ever be," he admitted, privately grateful for the donation of a modern dress uniform and that all their things had been saved for them by the wing from their previous trips. If nothing else, they _looked_ the part they claimed to be. "Might explain why she just smiled and told me to be patient when I bitched about being rejected each year."

"Hey, that's something," Chance smiled. "Time paradoxes are screwy things that way... not sure I _want_ to know how it all works out, honestly. You want to knock, or should I?"

"I will," Jake took a deep breath and walked up the steps. He rang the doorbell, and waited nervously.

It took several minutes, but eventually an equally nervous looking shekat, a brown on brown tabby with dark brown hair Chance recognized instantly despite the extreme difference in age, opened the door.

"Yes?" she asked, looking between the pair. It was in that moment that Chance put information together.

Two officers in dress uniforms, uncomfortable with speaking to her, when her husband, a beat cop, was probably on duty.

She was half-expecting them to tell her he'd died in the line of duty.

"Ryan Clawson?" Jake asked, though he knew full well it was her.

"Yes, sir," she nodded and tried not to swallow nervously.

"May we come in and speak with you?" Jake asked. "This is kind of ... complicated."

"Your husband's fine, ma'am, as far as we know," Chance reassured her with a smile, knowing too well what this probably looked like. He'd been part of the group that would deliver that news too often, and that wasn't counting when he'd done it on his own, after getting back from Lothos. "Like my partner said, this is kind of complicated, but it's not bad news of any sort."

They both got a curious look, but she stepped back with an elegant nod. "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you," Jake said. "My name is Jake, my partner is Chance," he said as they were guided to the living room, the same one that in another century they would spend Bastet's Day.

A baby's cry for attention distracted her. "Please sit, I need to see to my kits."

"Of course, ma'am," Jake nodded.

"Of course," Chance nodded, watching her leave. "Was your Mom an only kit?"

"She had an older brother, by less than a year," Jake said quietly and walked with him to the couch to sit and wait for her to return. "Uncle James was by her first husband."

Chance nodded, sitting down next to Jake, careful to keep his presentation strictly professional for the moment. "When we meet my family, we'll need to be sure we don't make the same first impression we almost did this time."

Jake looked at him blankly, then winced. "Right. No bearers of bad news. Maybe not in uniform?"

"Uniform's fine, just maybe a little less formal in how we meet them - think grunts coming home, not officers meeting somebody they're Suppose To Talk To," Chance suggested with a chuckle.

"My apologies for the delay," Ryan Clawson said as she came into the room carrying a small kitten only a few months old with rich caramel fur, spiky auburn hair and bright hazel eyes. "She's being too fussy to stay in her crib. She knows we have company."

"She hasn't changed at all," Jake couldn't help but smile faintly at his mother as an infant, and that she made a bee-line for Chance.

"She..." Ryan's mouth slipped open. "I heard one of the Black Knights was a Clawson from the future, but...."

"It's true," Jake said softly. "Tezla is, will be, my mother."

"You do have the family looks," Ryan admitted as baby Tezla pawed at Chance's leg for attention.

"Apparently she likes him already," Jake couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Before we landed in this time, she was in negotiations with him to sire her next kit."

Chance reached down and stroked her hair, scratching her ears lightly, and smiled when she pushed up into his hand to keep his attention.

"This is why we said it's complicated," he explained. "'Hello ma'am, this is your grandson from a century in the future' isn't exactly a conversation for the doorstep, unless you want to get the guys with those funny white coats with long sleeves called."

"Yes, I can see why," she nodded thoughtfully. "Are you remaining with the Enforcers, now that the war is over?"

"No," Chance said, shaking his head. "We had some issues with him during the war; serving under him in peacetime would be trouble."

"Will you need a place to stay until you get on your feet?" she offered with no apparent hesitation. "You probably know, but I do have cousins that might be able to help get you home."

"Taelon, Slaine and Valspar," Jake named them off. "Yes, though a personal introduction would be most welcome."

"We're not honestly sure how well established we are," Chance admitted as Tezla extended her claws enough to crawl up his leg and into his lap. "We were going to find out later today, after checking in with you and possibly with my family too."

"I'm not sure you'll get to leave," Jake snickered. "But yes. It may be a few days, it may take us a bit longer."

"The guest room is always open to kin," she smiled warmly. "We can easily move a spare bed in for both of you."

"Good to hear," Chance chuckled, wincing as Tezla's claws went in a little deep before petting her lightly. "Is she always this friendly?"

"Most of the time," Ryan admitted with a tolerant smile. "She will hiss at some people, but it is rare."

"Mother always has been a social one," Jake smiled and reached over to stroke the top of her head while she got dark caramel fur on Chance's dark gray dress uniform. "Though she did stop climbing in people's laps."

"That would have been a little awkward," Chance chuckled, carefully shifting her to one knee so Jake could scratch her lightly and she felt she was getting the attention she wanted without being fully in Chance's lap. "When is your husband due home?" He asked Ryan curiously.

"Within the hour," Ryan said easily. "You are welcome to stay for an early dinner before you continue your errands," she offered. "It will be easy to put on enough for you to join us."

"Thank you, ma'am," Chance smiled. "I can keep an eye on Tezla," he offered. "I think if I tried to pass her off, she'd rip me apart," he chuckled.

"Oh, I doubt it," she laughed lightly and stood to put on extra for dinner. "She is a generally well-behaved kit, but I will not discourage her from getting to know a future courter."

Jake managed to keep his mouth shut until his grandmother was out of earshot. "Actually, she's a royal terror. She's just a darling compared to her older brother."

"Oh, thank you _so_ much for giving her ideas," Chance mock-grumbled. "Any idea where he is?"

"I expect upstairs in the nursery," Jake said, cooing at his kitten-mother. "Probably with something to take apart and destroy. I'm not the first in the family who does that."

" _So_ not surprised," Chance chuckled, smiling as he watched Jake interacting with a kit, admittedly a very compliant and well behaved one, for the first time.

* * *

"You are looking way too unhappy for the funding we have right now," Chance observed as they waited for the taxi to come for them outside the offices of Talbot and Whiteclaw.

"I was expecting much better, that's all," Jake shook his head. "We aren't in bad shape, just not in great shape."

"Jake, it's been a couple years, and we probably only have a handful of paychecks - in total - for the entire war. As for the gems... well, prices weren't the same back now as they are at home. Relax," Chance reassured him. "I've got options for getting us more faster, and with any luck we'll only be here a few days anyways."

"Oh, I do too," he cracked a smile as a bright yellow cap from a very different era than their own pulled up and the driver stepped out. "I'd just rather not use them."

"Mr. Clawson, Mr. Furlong?" the driver asked formally.

"Yes," Jake nodded, and watched, bemused, as the door was opened for them.

"Thank you," Chance nodded, letting Jake in first before he followed his partner into the back seat. "1403 Tailbrook Street," he told the cabbie.

"Yes, sir," the driver nodded and quickly pulled into traffic for the shortest route to what would become a bad part of town in another thirty years or so.

Before long, they were pulling in, Chance looking up at the old apartment building that wouldn't change except to run down in the next hundred years.

"Y'know, I'd kinda been _hoping_ this would be a different building," he mused as they got out of the cab. "Let's hope this goes as well as it did with your family."

"At least we know it _did_ go well with one family, and we do have the funds to live on our own if need be," Jake pointed out, straitening his uniform out of nervous energy. "This is going to make meeting your family in our time _really_ weird."

"You won't be meeting _this_ family in our time," Chance pointed out, brushing the last of Tezla's stray fur off his uniform and walking up to knock. "Hope the 'gets along with kits' Jake is ready for a workout," he chuckled lowly.

"I'll do my best," he promised, watching the body language of both the older woman who answered the door and his partner.

"Hello," Chance said, his attitude entirely friendly. "I'm Chance Furlong, and this is my partner, Jake Clawson. We just got back from mustering out of Lothos, and wanted to drop by to say hello to the family in the area," he smiled.

"Don't think I've heard of a Chance," the gold-and-orange tabby observed. "Another branch of the family?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I joined the Enforcers to help with the war effort," he explained. "Flew with the Black Knights," he offered.

"Well, come on in - do you need some help getting established?" she asked as she stepped back to let them enter the relatively large apartment that bustled with kittens, teens and adults that all bore a noticeable resemblance to Chance and the shekat who'd opened the door.

All but one very dark furred shekat he caught a glimpse of in the kitchen; the mate of a Furlong he was sure.

"Our final paychecks, when they come in, will help a lot. I have kin in the area too," Jake said. "Gretchen Furlong?" he asked with just a hint of uncertainty.

"Yes," she nodded. "My husband's at the factory, he should be back later this afternoon. Would you like to stay for dinner? I could send the kits out to see if anybody has a spare room or two, if you need them."

Jake glanced at his partner, unsure if he wanted to mention that they did have a place. "My kin agreed to put us up in the guest room, but help finding an apartment would be a godsend," he admitted. "We'll be able to rent in a few days."

"We might be able to figure something out," she nodded. "I'll call around - any idea how long you'll be in town?"

"That depends on whether or not I can get going with a flight show around here - might end up moving around," Chance explained. "We're a pretty close team - Jake handles the maintenance on the planes better than anybody," he smiled, earning a shy, but appreciative, smile in return.

"I'm a good gunner by training, but designing, building and maintaining planes is what I really enjoy," Jake added. "We'll know a lot better in a couple weeks how long we'll be around and what we'll be doing. So much is up in the air now, with the war over and our tours done."

"It's like that for a lot of people," Gretchen nodded. "I should probably get some lunch going; anything in particular you'd like? I was going to make macaroni for the kits," she explained.

"That would be fine, though you don't have to worry about it," Chance offered. "I think this isn't too far from a few restaurants in the family?"

"True," she smiled at him. "Two blocks east on Tailbrook is Marcil's. It's always nice to have another kin for a customer. Just make sure you introduce yourselves."

"We will," Chance smiled. "Thanks for the offer though. Would you like some help keeping an eye on the kits until their lunch is ready?" He offered.

"Always," she grinned at him. "Do you have a girl?"

"No," Chance chuckled. "At least not a steady one," he admitted. "But I just got mobbed by his family's kits," he said, nodding towards Jake, "and I figure it's only fair to return the favor."

"Thanks a lot," Jake rolled his eyes, though there was no actual objection. "All Tezla did was purr in your lap."

"And try to stay there when I stood up," Chance teased back.

"Hey, she likes you," Jake laughed. "Be careful, or you'll have a kitten without the fun of making one."

"Well, if you're willing to help out, I'll certainly take it," Gretchen smiled. "There's enough work in the kitchen, and I'm still teaching Tina to help out in there."

"I am a good cook," Jake spoke up, more than willing to help out with something other than kittens. "My mother and grandmother made sure I knew how to handle myself in the kitchen."

"Well, you'll be a good catch," she winked, standing up with a smile. "They'll be out here soon," she warned Chance, heading back to the kitchen with Jake.

"So what's on the menu?" Jake asked, his nose doing much of the detective work as he took in what he'd have to work with.

"Macaroni with hot dogs," she explained. "Do you want to handle the pasta, the cheese, or the meat?" She asked him.

"I'll cut the dogs," he decided easily and angled for the ice box, something he remembered from when he was very little before his mother finally got a modern refrigerator.

Opening the door to it, he found the hot dogs wrapped in butcher's paper, next to two blocks of cheese, one cheddar, one swiss. Gretchen filled a pot with water, bringing it over to the stove and setting it to the side before she lit a match and started the gas, lighting the burner before setting the pot on to heat.

"I'll take the cheese," she said, taking the two blocks from him before setting at the counter and starting to cube up a portion of both blocks. "How long has it been since you've had to cook?" She asked him curiously.

"Last night," he said. "I helped make dinner. On my own from scratch ... a few months. I refuse to count making rations palatable as cooking. Do you have enough lard, oil or bacon drippings to fry?" he asked. "I know a variant on this that might go over well with the kits."

"What is it?" She asked him. "I might, but I'm not sure." She finished cubing the cheese, then went to look. "Just how much do you think you'll need?"

"Fried macaroni bars," he grinned as he diced up the fresh, butcher-made sausages. "We did it with leftovers. You take the mac and cheese you make normally, let it cool in a pan a couple inches deep and flat. When it's solid enough, you cut it into bars and deep fry it."

"Well, we can try it," she shrugged slightly. "Sounds like it'll be less dishes to wash after - one pot, one pan, and the plates, instead of bowls and silverware." She pulled out a small bucket from the cupboard, opening it and nodding. "We should have enough lard for it."

"Sometimes not even plates," Jake said. "It's good finger food. How fine do you want the meat diced?"

"Usually cut it into pieces about half a knuckle long," she explained. "Might need it finer for these though."

"Probably," Jake nodded. "We usually started with ground meat," he explained and went to work cutting the sausages into chunks small enough not to threaten the structural integrity of the bars. "Do your kits like fried things?"

"Most do," she chuckled. "I just try keeping them relatively uncommon; fish when we can get it, but not too much beyond that, unless I need to trick them into eating their vegetables. Actually, if they'd work in the bars...." She looked at the fridge, the gears in her head obviously turning. "Think they could take some broccoli?"

"Sure," he nodded. "I'll dice it small so it's hard to detect. Have you tried putting melted cheese or a cheese sauce on it, see if they like their greens that way?"

"It works sometimes, but it's expensive," she chuckled. "This should help though," she said, handing him the fresh broccoli to be chopped into pieces so small it could nearly pass for puree.

"What do you usually make for lunch?" Jake asked, curious that mac and cheese seemed to be a more elaborate meal that usual.

"Sandwiches, most of the time - a couple slices of bread, meat, and cheese go a long way on little stomachs," she smiled, glancing out at Chance and the kits. "And they're easier to serve on the run," she chuckled.

"And to make ahead of time," he nodded. "Is dinner a sit-down meal with everyone?"

"Whenever it can be," she nodded. "I'll probably start it cooking after I've seen what we have for leftovers," she chuckled, starting the pasta boiling. "Tuna-macaroni casserole usually goes over pretty well, and I cook with that in mind."

"I'm sure," he grinned. "It sure sounds good."

"Glad you think so," she chuckled. "So, how long have you known Chance?" She asked him curiously.

Jake did some quick math in his head. "Five years now, I think," he said. "It's been a wild ride for most of it."

"Did you enlist together?" Tina asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Just at the same time," he told the slender, nearly black shekat that was just starting to show her pregnancy. "We were partnered because we were both top of our classes."

"Staying together because you're both single?" she guessed.

"Pretty much," Jake lied easily. "After the close quarters of the war, sharing an apartment seems natural."

"What was it like, flying out there?" Tina asked him, setting up an easy line of conversation while they worked on prepping lunch for the kits.


	28. Stonewall

Chance tapped his fingers on the bar as he waited for a drink to arrive. The Stonewall might not be his favorite place to hang out in the modern day, but during this time it was pretty nice. It hadn't gotten tagged with the reputation of being a gay bar yet, though his eye was good enough to spot the guys and girls who were here as couples, and the ones who were in mixed-sex couples that really weren't ... usually Xanith fems, who could fake being a guy a lot better than a kat could, or Kantin of both sexes. For them, all it took was the right clothes and a little padding.

His Bombardier arrived, and he sipped the drink as he thought over what exactly had been happening the past two weeks. He'd managed to find a spare hotel room near the edge of town, out by the Junkyard where Jake could work on the ship. After two weeks, his partner'd been saying 'soon' for about half that time, though he could explain the theory of how they'd gotten back a bit better. The question was how to get them home, since the first trip was apparently because of the two distortion fields hitting at exactly the right place and time.

In the meantime, he was playing bread winner, flying the stunt shows that were all around MKC. He'd never really thought about what it would mean for the city to have real peace for a while... it hadn't happened during his lifetime. But now, between Megawar II and Lothos' 'War of Rebirth,' there were more good pilots than there were planes, practically. He just hoped they were out in a few months... he knew entirely too well that things were about to go from rough, to bad, and then to worse before Lothos started expanding again and gave the Enforcers enough political clout to hire back the pilots they'd been dropping left and right.

Chance did _not_ want to be here for that.

He glanced up as he realized that the bar was getting quiet, and saw a couple Enforcers in uniform stepping in off the street. They were in uniform, but they weren't wearing their badges or side arms ... they were off-duty, just stopping by for a drink.

He hoped that was all they were here for, and that everybody realized it soon enough. It was a moment later that his brain kicked in and he nearly choked to avoid cursing out loud.

He was at Stonewall. At night. With a lot of tension and two Enforcers in uniform.

He did his best to keep his manner relaxed and neutral. The last thing he wanted was to add to the tension, or become a target of it. He knew he could out-fight anyone here, but not everyone.

He didn't want to fight Enforcers, but he didn't want to be mistaken for one, and he knew he gave off the vibe of one after spending his entire adult life in one uniform or another.

"Do I recognize you from somewhere?" One of them asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Flew over Lothos," Chance explained briefly with a shrug. "You stationed over there for a while?" He asked, looking at the Enforcer and trying to place him. Nobody _he_ recognized, which could be good or bad. "I was with the Black Knights."

"Ah, that's it," he nodded easily. "I was part of the Red One, when you guys took out an artillery placement. Hey, how 'bout a couple Black Bears for my pal and I here," he said, signaling the bartender, who sent the mugs of practically black ale down the bar a moment later. Chance finished his first drink, then took the mug with a nod.

"Thanks - nice to know it's appreciated," he chuckled. At least this seemed to be going reasonably well, the ambient noise level getting back to normal.

"Yeah, good to know. Not that you could always tell it in here," the Enforcer shrugged. "Sergeant Tim Blackwell," he said, offering Chance his hand.

"Captain Chance Furlong, retired now," Chance grinned wryly.

"Hey, I don't blame you - if I could get a job somewhere else, I'd have done the same," Blackwell laughed, looking over at his partner as he talked to a fem down the bar. "Besides... there are some perks to not being official, eh?"

"A few," Chance nodded, sure he was being tested, just not sure what he was being tested _for_. A friendly face in a largely unfriendly bar... or for whether or not he was here for more than a drink. And which was the right answer to give, so to speak.

"Didn't you fly with a gunner?" Blackwell continued with no apparent notice to Chance's thoughts. "A little guy."

"Yeah," Chance chuckled. "Little guy, and a workaholic. We're sharing a place near the edge of town, but he's working on a project of his. I needed to get away from the clanging."

"I'm guessing you don't have a girl then," he chuckled, shaking his head. "What's he up to, while you have fun?"

"Trying to work on some improvements to our bird - as if it needs it, huh?" He chuckled. "And no, not steady anyways. A couple cute ones around here," he mused, looking back at Blackwell's partner, seeing a buff Tigress in a leather jacket with a slightly miffed expression walking towards him and the fem he was talking to. "Looks like your partner's about to strike out," he smirked, trying to cover for his nerves. There were a hundred different stories about how the riots had started... but this was one of them.

"If it's keeping you in the shows, I guess he's doing his part," Blackwell said as he glanced over and scowled. "I wish he hadn't wanted to come here. Too hard to tell the gals from the guys half the time."

"His idea to come here?" Chance asked, raising an eyebrow. "For what it's worth, he's hitting on a girl. One who's taken, if I'm reading those eyes right, but a girl."

"With a girlfriend, if I'm reading that Tiger right," Blackwell flattened his ears as something clicked into place. "I bet he knew it to," he growled softly for the situation his friend was about to put him in.

"She's taken," the buff Tigress, dressed to pass as a Tiger, growled with flattened ears, not the least bit put off by his uniform.

"Yeah? Well why don't you leave it up to her to tell me? Maybe she wants a real tom, not some butch who can't get a date with a dick?"

"Beat it!" the girl he'd been chatting with snarled, her ears flat and teeth bared.

It was only experience that told Chance she was trying to prevent her girlfriend from reacting to what was credibly one of the worst insults in the butch-lesbian world. They both knew it was pointless too.

"Let him take the fall for it," Chance put a firm hand on Blackwell's arm. "He earned this beating."

"Are you kidding? He's about to get himself killed," Blackwell said, shrugging Chance's hand off and going to try and pull his partner out of this.

Chance looked around, and could see how _un_ likely that was to work. He wasn't the only ex-Enforcer around here; he could pick up the others in a heartbeat now, obviously torn between being offended by the idiocy of Blackwell's partner, and between the urge to come to the defense of another Enforcer, even an idiot one. That wasn't what would be the real trouble though. Chance could hear the distinctive rumble of Enforcer engines outside - a patrol was going by, and they'd probably call in for backup at any sign of trouble. He _knew_ that happened.

"Just put it off for another minute," he whispered, finishing his drink but keeping his hand on the heavy mug.

No such luck, and he should have known it wouldn't work out. Blackwell tried putting his hand on his partner's shoulder, only to be shrugged off.

"You know, we didn't have trouble with dykes like you before the War. Y'spend a few weeks in a factory, and you think you're as good as a tom. Guess what, it's over now, so you can stop pretending you've got a pair and go back where you belong."

The Tigress responded to that comment with all the diplomacy it asked for - she landed a punch on the tom's jaw that would have laid out some of the Ferals Chance had met. Unfortunately, the Enforcer wasn't _that_ drunk yet, and after he'd staggered back for a moment, he lunged for the Tigress, his pride _almost_ as wounded as hers.

Somebody hurried out, then ducked back in promptly, and Chance knew that exactly the wrong thing had happened. An Enforcer - this one on-duty, was in a minute later.

"Break it up!" He snarled, looking around the bar, his hand unconsciously straying to his service revolver.

Chance made a lightning-fast move, trying to stay invisible to the on-duty Enforcer, to take him behind the Tigress for what, in any other time, would have been an award-winning stupid move.

"Calm down," he hissed at her, a hand on her arm. "Just until the badge leaves."

She stepped back, growling lowly, and Chance breathed a sigh of relief as the fight was broken up.

"Glad _somebody's_ got my back," Blackwell's partner growled, glaring back at him.

The on-duty Enforcer shook his head, and then picked up his radio. Chance started running through every curse he knew, and inventing a few of them, as he keyed the box.

"This is Officer Channing, I'm going to need backup on a Section 11 at the -"

He was stopped when somebody hurled a full bottle at his head, staggering into the bar and drawing his revolver.

With a low curse out loud Chance moved forward and grabbed the weapon, twisting it out of the Enforcer's hand before anyone had time to process that he'd even moved.

"Wh!" the Enforcer gasped at a move that wouldn't be known even by special forces for nearly a generation.

"Say everything is fine, or this is going to turn into a riot," Chance did his best to convey urgency without threat. "A drunken punch is not worth it."

"Backup at Stonewall Pub, S11 resisting an officer!" He barked into the radio. Chance swore as he tried to grab the radio, then remembered that even if he did he wouldn't be able to countermand the request anymore. His partner in the car outside flicked on the sirens, sending panic through what parts of the pub _weren't_ already freaking out.

"Fuck this!" The Tigress snarled. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm sick of turning tail every time some cop flashes a badge!"

A general rumble of consensus seemed to carry through the room, and the next thing Chance was aware of was reflex moving him out of the way of a bat that came down square on top of the officer's head from the bartender.

"Pick your side, tabby," the big, dark-furred tom with the bat told him before turning his attention to Blackwell and his partner.

Chance swore under his breath, bolting out, sure to keep his hands clear so the Enforcer outside wouldn't think he was armed.

"There's a bar brawl going on now," he told him. "If you don't call off the backup, it'll be a riot by morning!"

"My partner's in there," came the unwanted, but entirely predictable, response as the Enforcer drew his revolver and headed in to protect his own.

Chance couldn't help but sigh, but made short work of enough distance that he wouldn't get caught in the sweeps he knew would be coming soon. Only then did he begin to look for a pay phone to call Jake to pick him up.

Of all the nights he could have gone to the Stonewall.

He'd already picked up the phone when it sank in that they didn't have a vehicle. Even if he did get his partner's attention, Jake couldn't do anything to help.

He hung the payphone up again and took a moment to map the riots, police net and traffic patterns of that night and began to move as quickly as he dared to a neighborhood where he wouldn't be picked up by Enforcers, and could get picked up by a cab.

About an hour later, thanks to the quickly-established police blocks slowing down the cab traffic, Chance walked into Jake's workshop, shaking slightly.

"Tell me you've got a good idea when we can get out of here," he said.

"If you're willing to push ethics, a couple days," Jake turned to look at him from the rickety table he was using to run equations a computer would choke by hand. "What happened?"

"Besides the possibility that I'm the reason the Stonewall Riots turned into full-on riots? Not much," Chance muttered. "Can't believe I forgot what night it was!"

"History didn't think you were," Jake pointed out and stood to wrap his arms around his mate. "So, two-three days and don't ask any questions, or a month and do it legally?"

"History didn't have a name," Chance muttered. "Just how 'don't ask questions' are we talking here?"

"Well, it's not Lothos, but it's not much better," Jake hedged. "I know who's building the tech that can duplicate the energy that set off the time travel. MKC is one. The other two ...."

"Will it be anything that could upset the balance of power, or just illegal because technically you're not supposed to know about it?" Chance sighed.

"If I do it right, it won't upset anything," Jake said. "If I screw up, or they're better than I think ... it could mean giving Xenquii atomic weaponry eighty years early."

"We're taking the month," Chance said firmly. "I feel bad enough as it is, don't want to feel worse. So... any idea how well we can control it, once it's going?"

"With a sample size of one, and just my palmtop, I'm playing a huge guessing game," Jake admitted with a sigh and stepped back to sit at the table again. "No one has ever done calculations like this primarily by hand that I know of. If we don't make it to our time on the first try, I'll be able to get a much better idea with two sets of data, and I'm fairly sure we'll at least move forward in time."

"This gonna be something where, after we get back, you'll be able to repeat it more or less when you want?" Chance asked him curiously.

"I should be able to, as long as I have the energy required to," Jake nodded. "I think I understand the propulsion on this thing well enough to duplicate it too, though it's likely to take a few years. Before you get too far along that 'open time travel' thought, the survival rate is uncomfortably low in the best case scenario."

"Mrf. What're the odds for us, you think?"

"That first one was probably a billion to one odds, if that," Jake said evenly, his focus on the equations to avoid looking at his partner. "Knowing the how and what, I've gotten it down to maybe a million to one for the next jump. With a dedicated computer and power systems for it, it'll probably level out at three, maybe four hundred to one to survive. Less to go where and when you wanted."

"Well, for us, that's pretty good odds," Chance chuckled ruefully. "The alternative, of course, is waiting for Past Master... so I guess it's the best odds we've got, unless we want to dig the little troll up."

"Or simply wait it out," Jake couldn't completely repress the shudder at the thought. "We're only sixty or so years before we're born."

"No," Chance said firmly, shaking his head. "You might go nuts, but I know what we'd be in for."

"Right," Jake gave him a glance, not entirely sure how it could be _that_ much worse than living so close to modern times and not having a single convenience of it for most of his life. "Anyway, once I work the equations out one last time, I'll start pushing my contacts for access to the Banderose Nuclear Plant."

Chance blinked. "I thought ... you mean it's operational already?"

"Yeah," Jake gave him a slight smile. "The one that was officially opened to all the fanfare in thirty years is actually the second one."

"Okay, are you going to end up being arrested for knowing that?" Chance asked him with a frown. "Now, if not back home?"

"No," he shook his head. "I know because one of the corporations I worked for before the Enforcers was primary on both contracts. That I'm from the future is in our Enforcers records of this time, so while all the red tape and double-checking will take time, if I was going to get in trouble, I would have already."

"All right then," Chance nodded. "Until then, we're in a holding pattern?

"Pretty much," he sighed. "I work on what I can, you do what you can. Unfortunately, getting us home is all on my end."

"Well, is there anything more you can do with it now?" Chance asked him, moving to rub his shoulders gently. He couldn't help but smile at the low moan of pleasure the attention earned.

"Mmm, not really," Jake admitted, pressing into the contact eagerly. "Ready to shake off a bad night out?"

"I think so," Chance purred, kissing Jake's neck. "Think you're up to distracting me from what I know's going on?"

"I think so," he purred and turned around to unbutton the tabby's shirt. "We could both use a little distraction right now."


	29. Headed Home

"Ready?" Jake looked over at his partner, showing a hint of nervousness for the first time about intentionally flying into a killer beam of energy.

"As ready as I can be," Chance said, lifting the craft. "How's this going to work again?"

"With the drive warping the spatial dimensions, and the beam doing the same, the interaction between the two at high levels should warp the fourth dimension and send us through time. Alternately, I've miscalculated the angle and velocity we need, and we end up in the middle of the sun."

"Dandy," Chance deadpanned. "Well, only one way to find out." He started moving the ship forward, pulling into a circle to improve his acceleration.

"Remember, when you hit the beam, you have to be at 88% maximum shift!" Jake told him, bracing himself for the inevitable nausea.

"I know, I know!" Chance nodded, trying not to think about how fast things were whipping by them - they had to be going at least Mach 12, and they were only going faster... none of it anything he could _feel_!

Just as he hit the speed they were going for, he shifted their angle to throw them into the beam - and everything went black as their bodies warped and twisted along with the ship.

"Fuck that sucks," Jake snarled through his groaning as he struggled to orient himself enough to respond to the insistent beeping on the comm.

"Furlong, pull up, damnit!" a familiar and very agitated female voice repeated urgently at them.

Chance spun the vertical controls, not bothering to try getting his bearings yet as they climbed fast. After a moment to realize they'd been just about to crash into Enforcer HQ, he let out a relieved breath.

"Enforcer Headquarters, requesting permission to land... how'd you know it was us?"

"It's in the records, Sundance," she chuckled. "Permission to land granted. Put her down in the chopper bay and welcome to 2073, boys. We have a lot to talk about."

"No kidding," Jake murmured, looking out over the city over sixty years further in the future from home. "It hasn't changed much, has it?"

"No, it hasn't," Chance agreed as he brought the shuttle around for a perfect touchdown inside the helicopter bay. "I don't know if I'd call that good news or bad... at least it's not a crater by now."

"Which means that whatever goes down in our lives, the city does survive," Jake let out a small breath of relief as he looked out over the tech, noting advancements with a low rumble of excitement. "And at least some of our friends."

Despite the changes in the vehicles, they were still readily identifiable, as were the uniforms, paint job and general look of the place.

"Want to wager there were at least two dead Ferals before Kathie got promoted?" Jake asked as they unbuckled and stood.

"I'd rather not... so, what's your time theory say about going forward? _That_ can change, pretty clearly, since this isn't the same as last time." Chance opened the door and stepped out, feeling a lot more at-ease than he had the last time.

"We also had, at best, a bad imitation of the weapon that hit us the first time," Jake pointed out. "Besides, I would have left myself instructions on how to get home."

"Well, here's hoping you did. C'mon, let's go meet folks," Chance said, rolling his shoulders to try and get his body back to feeling right before he joined his partner outside in the familiar smells of a busy hanger.

He saluted his former wingleader, now Commander, and relaxed when she returned it with a slight smile.

"Welcome home, boys," Commander Firetail greeted them. "We do have a bit of a dance to avoid you running into yourselves, so pay attention when you're told not to be somewhere. For now, head to the officer showers, get cleaned up. Major Rico Muris will have clothes for you when you're out.

"He's a Murian ..." she struggled with the word. "Mouse."

"Martian, ma'am," the athletically built, nearly black Mouse with translucent red antennae said as he stepped up and offered his hand to Chance. "Come on, I'm sure you could stand a proper shower by now."

"I'm sure," Chance nodded, shaking his hand. "If you don't mind my asking, race we never found, or alien?"

"Alien, though we are a naturalized race on Aristal now," he said easily. "Our homeworld was destroyed when my parents were young. A small settlement worth of us made it to this world, though we kept to ourselves until the legal system evolved to the point it was safe enough to present ourselves to be acknowledged."

"Well, that answers whether or not there are friendly aliens out there ... what about the guys who sent us back through time, this last time?" Chance asked, looking between them. "Or is this a 'after you've showered' topic?"

"After the shower," Kathie said firmly. "I will see you in my office," she said before turning to leave.

"We can chat while you clean up," Rico said. "She's going to want us to spend some time together anyway. It's your word, knowing me now, that got the treaty signed fifty years ago. Standard disclaimer time too," he turned very serious. "My kind are telepaths, mind-readers. It is extremely rude to do so without an invitation, and I will not. It is not something I want to come out later."

"Is that what those are for?" Chance asked, looking up at his antennae, trying not to think about the implication that he'd end up some kind of diplomat. "Mind giving us the primer on your people, while we're here?"

"Sure," Rico nodded. "Major others points include being biologically incompatible with Kat and Kantin, a percentage of us are shapeshifters with two additional forms. We still have a warrior/hunter-gather society at our core and the shifters, Loup Maru, are the primary guardians and hunters, and the leadership. A handful of us are allied with the Enforcers or local militaries."

"Bet you're popular when folks are going into heat," Chance joked. "You're not a shifter, I'm guessing?"

"Enough that it keeps most of us out of cities," Rico chuckled deeply. "The tail is a third hand too," he demonstrated by deftly opening the locker room door with it. "The teens love it though. It can be quit a party."

"I bet," Jake managed, the fascination at the usefulness overcoming his shock. "Is that how you ended up here?"

"Not really," he said, a touch uneasily as they began to undress. "I was on a scouting mission to the city to get a feel for whether it was the right time to reveal ourselves, and I met the two of you. I shadowed you for the better part of two weeks and reported back that it was the right time, and why. Since you knew me already, I was sent as the primary contact. By the time it was sorted out, I'd gotten myself elected as a permanent liaison."

"What year was this?" Chance chuckled. "If you ever tried to get in the apartment, Jake's security system might need to be taught not to be quite as forceful as it sometimes is."

"It was spring of 2023," he told them and walked most of the way to the shower room, pausing at the open door where they could talk but he wouldn't get wet. "I never tried to get into the apartment. I didn't need to, really."

"Good thing," Chance nodded, stripping down and turning on the showers. "Man, does it feel good to be under a decent shower," he groaned, keeping half an eye on their guide. "How long were your people around before you showed yourselves? If that's not prying too much."

"It's a matter of public record at this point," Rico chuckled. "Two hundred and fifty years by local time, at least by our best calculations. We didn't have much contact with any natives for most of our first generation here."

"I don't blame you," Chance nodded. "Right now, you'd have really rough questions coming, especially with what's coming for us ... you guys ever run into a group of aliens with no fur, flat faces, and ships that warp space?"

"Have you seen one, that you would bring to the front of your mind for me to see?" he asked politely.

"Yes," Jake agreed before Chance could. He closed his eyes, enjoying the water and the heat, and cleared his mind of all but the images of their invader.

"Humans," Rico nodded with a shudder. "Yes, we know them. One of the nastier races out there, but not the worst. They do tend to back off if the losses are high enough. Even though you won't see us, we did a lot of that damage. You'll do a lot more. The real determiner were your gods. Not even humans are willing to go up against that kind of power."

"It's good to know we managed to fight 'em off," Chance murmured, though the idea of the gods showing up for things was disturbing, to say the least. "Did we use anything brought back from now on the record, or might we make it better on our trip home?"

"You don't have time after you get home," Rico warned them. "You'll be given the full reports we have now, and some weapons. Your ship has limitations. The big guns you'll have to build when you get home. The plans are in your package to take back.

"Yes, the war will be a bloody mess, but in the end a lot more good than bad came of it. It was the catalyst for both the world government and the laws prohibiting the discriminations you still live with. Race, gender, sexuality, kinks, national origin, and so many more. It won't be fast, but they happen in your lifetime."

"What, Feral tried to fire us after we got caught together after two weeks flying non-stop?" Chance joked, though his irritation was still evident. "Been there, done that, got slapped in the brig for defending myself because of it."

"No," Rico gave him an odd look for jumping to that idea. "He knew you were a couple long before you admitted it to him. Neither Feral is your enemy."

"Sorry, back in the Megawar we had issues with Commander Vidon," Chance grumbled. "He ended up trying to beat names out of me, and I got slapped in the brig for defending myself. Thinking that might happen again was _not_ happy... any idea when he _did_ know?"

"Well, it wasn't a surprise to him when he saw the charges Commander Vidon leveled," Rico shook his head. "When he knew was never recorded. He did attend your wedding."

"Wait, what?" Chance blinked, turning to look at the Mouse, who suddenly looked very embarrassed. He was peripherally aware of how stock still Jake was, staring at them both in open shock.

"Umm, yes," Rico nodded. "It was a centerpiece of the campaign the Enforcer brass and Mayor's office ran to create tolerance for same-sex partners. "Yours and Major Evans. His was much more an event, because of who his mate is, but both were very well attended."

"We ... get married?" Jake managed to stammer.

"Yes," Rico nodded. "It won't be for a couple decades," he tried to reassure them. "A lot changes in this city in the three decades after the human invasion is repelled."

"Yeesh, when it rains, it pours," Chance murmured. "More than a century without much progress, and then boom. So... who does Shark hook up with?"

"Shannon Gryas," Rico told them. "They've been a couple for years by the time the humans invaded."

" _The_ Shannon Gryas?" Jake's jaw slipped a little further open. "As in Karidin Sportswear?"

"Yes, him," Rico nodded.

"Whoa - wouldn't know it to look at him," Chance chuckled, shaking his head. "Never would've guessed it... how'd the Knights come through the war?" He asked, his manner more subdued.

"As well as we usually do," Rico smiled slightly. "There were losses, but most survived to fight again. Names are not something you'll get."

"Fair enough," Chance nodded. "Hang on... we? Are you a Knight?" He asked, scrubbing his abs.

"Yes, the only solo pilot on the team," Rico tapped the unobtrusive shoulder patch with the squad logo on it. "A 'path on a world without them is very difficult to trick in the air. I get called on a lot of assault missions too, for silent communications and interrogation. I may have gotten assigned here, but I get along here better than I do with my own kind most days. I'm valued here for more than genetic diversity needs."

"I get a feeling we'll be talking about that more later," Chance murmured, washing off. "Glad you like it here though. The last Commanders... retired, or down in battle?"

"Ulysses Feral died in battle, Felina Feral was crippled in battle and retired," he told them as they rinsed their fur out and began to dry off. "Kathie has retirement plans, but there is no telling if she'll last long enough to see them."

"Kinda weird to outlast two Commanders, given our jobs," Chance murmured. "We still flying, or did they desk us?" He asked over the blowers, fluffing his fur out so it dried thoroughly.

"They were both front-line leaders," Rico reminded them. "You've been training at the Academy for years. Jake went back to design work," he gave as much as he was comfortable with. "I can't say you escaped without injury, but the last time we talked you weren't too despondent about it."

"Thinking everything over, probably the job I'm best qualified for that I'm least likely to turn into something I hate doing," Chance chuckled grimly. He redressed after drying off, smoothing out his fur. "We know how to get back from here any easier than when we got here in the first place?"

"That you could still fly, even if not in combat, helps," Rico said easily after knowing the tabby for several decades. "Jake left notes for himself, and we've been ready for you to show up. I expect you could go right after your debriefing. If you're willing though, I'd invite you to dinner, and I know a good night's sleep would be useful. Things are going hot and heavy from the moment you hit the tarmac back home."

"If we actually get to hit it, it'll be a new record," Chance grinned. "But you're right, a square meal and a good night's sleep will be nice, along with a little time to arm ourselves."

"One major advantage of being on this end of the time stream," Rico led them out. "You'll have all the time you need. After all, it's history for us."

"Kathie seemed to be in a bit of a rush," Chance pointed out. "Just want to get us going right away, or is there something coming up that we're not supposed to be here for? Don't need details," he offered quickly.

"It's on her head to juggle four very headstrong toms so you don't meet yourselves, and a lot of others folks that might tell you too much," he explained. "We're a lot more confident about the risks of time travel, but it's not a sure thing, and she doesn't want to be the one who doesn't control the right movement. A lot of folks will want to meet you that probably shouldn't. My ability to pick up on the basic intent of those around me without reading their mind went a long way to get me this assignment. She's counting on me to keep most of the trouble away from you. Besides, we haven't licked the Omega problem, and asking you to stay out of the air is a lot of stress on all sides, especially with what that ship of your can do."

"Any specs you have on it would be welcome," Chance offered. "All we know is 'maneuvers really well.' We don't really have weapons or anything else figured out yet."

"Whatever we have will be in the intel pack she has for you," Rico said as they walked, more than a few curious looks being shooed away by a stern glance from the Major. "I haven't personally seen it outside of when you just landed."

"Did we ever get the TurboKat back from the Moon?" Chance asked as they approached Kathie's office, wanting to give Jake that closure if he could.

"Yes, sort of," Rico said with a bit of an apology. "It was in a lot of pieces, but all there."

"As long as I get the main fuselage back, the rest is simple enough," Jake relaxed noticeably. "Do I still have a hanger at Katilia?"

"Not a hanger so much as it's your workshop-testing field," Rico chuckled sheepishly. "You kept buying hangers to expand into until you owned the entire field."

" _I_ own, or a corp I work for does?" Jake asked up with real interest.

Rico cocked his head slightly, thinking back hard over decades of conversations. "I'm honestly not sure," he eventually admitted. "You've always referred to it as 'yours', even when Sara was installed and you didn't outright own it."

"True," Jake admitted. "She's still around?"

"Oh yes," Rico couldn't help but laugh as they got on an elevator. "She's become quite the coordinator with your expansion to own the field."

"I bet," Jake chuckled softly.

It was all a firm reminder to Chance that for as loyal as he was the Enforcers and partner, Jake had no issues with leaving it behind for the corporate world again.

At least now he knew that Jake wouldn't be forced to by the discovery of their relationship.

"You ever meet a Kip... Durnan, I think?" Chance asked him. "Wolf-kat? Used to work in mechanics, occasional playmate of ours."

"Red tiger stripes?" he double checked.

"Yeah," Jake nodded. "Not that you can tell in uniform."

"I've heard about him, but I never met him," Rico shook his head as they stepped out. "He was gone well before I joined."

"Maybe you managed to get him in at Pumadyne," Chance grinned over at Jake. "He seemed to have potential, anyways. Well, let's get the debriefing over with."

"He definitely had talent," Jake agreed easily. "I know half a dozen places I could get him a good job if he was inclined for it."

"Hello, boys," a perky, young blond shekat with white fur smiled warmly at the three of as they walked into the Commander's outer office. "Go on in. She's waiting for you."

"Thanks Sheela," Rico winked at her, making her blush under her short white fur. He led them into an office that both hadn't changed in sixty years and had changed everything in that time.

It could have been worse. It could have been someone they were used to outranking sitting behind that desk.

Or someone that didn't smile at them.

"You clean up as nicely as I remember," Kathie chuckled and returned their salutes. "Have a seat."

It was only in that moment that Chance realized that she really had aged. Her crimson hair was shot through with thick streaks of grey and her face showed the strain of her duties.

"I'm going to trust you both, and Rico, to avoid yourselves, close relatives and the media, for your stay," she began as they sat down, all of them more at ease from long familiarity and long-time close working relationship. "While it is unlikely to cause trouble, I'd rather avoid taking chances.

"I'll leave most of this for you two to read," she pushed a thick, locked metal portfolio to them across her molded glass desk. "Particularly the technical bits that Jake wrote to himself. You'll want to hand this over to Commander Feral as soon as you return home. I'm sure Rico told you that he'll answer what he can, but some things we don't think you should know on your return, because you said later that you didn't know."

"I understand, Ma'am," Jake said politely and took the binder, slid his finger over the latch, and began to read while she continued to talk.

"I understand you are here for almost two weeks, do not work _or_ party too hard," Kathie shifted her gaze between the pair. "You're going to have almost three months of very hard combat as soon as you arrive, from humans and Omegas."

"Is there anybody we're supposed to keep an eye out for when we get back?" Chance asked her. "Some of the Omegas will kick in when we've got alien troubles; since running into them the first time, Jake and I have been considering our options, and that sounds like our best odds for the moment."

"Dark Kat and Dr. Viper will be your biggest problems. PastMaster ... I wouldn't say he helped, but he wasn't about to let them take over _his_ city," she rolled her eyes. "Hard Drive actually earned a pardon for his assistance, though it didn't last long. Everyone else had the sense to keep their heads down."

"It wouldn't," Chance sighed, rolling his eyes. "Though I'd have expected Dark Kat to fight back too... figures that the one time he could help, he wouldn't."

"Well, he did, but he was too indiscriminant to call help," she said dryly. "It is all in the report," she indicated the thick folder Jake was reading at high speed. "We lost a lot of good officers, but we did win in the end."

"One of these days we'll pull one off where we just do the second part," Chance sighed, leaning over to read what he could as Jake skimmed. "They turn tail, or we have some sort of ongoing relationship with them now?"

"Neither," Rico said grimly. "We obliterated their force."

"He means that in the possessive," Kathie added. "The Mice did, though _we_ didn't find that out for a while, since we didn't know they existed yet."

"It sounded like you were saying they'd turned tail after the gods intervened," Chance said, looking over at him. "You hit them before they could run?" He guessed.

"Even in low numbers, we can do a lot of damage to unarmed targets," Rico grinned with a vicious pride. "I'll introduce you to one of the shifters before you leave."

"I dubbed them walking WMDs," Kathie chuckled. "Dark Kat didn't believe me."

"At least not until it was too late," Rico chuckled. "That's once of the other very effective changes. Omega was legally defined, and once someone is classified as one, they are a kill on sight target. No more capture, no trials, just clean up the mess."

Jake was surprised to see Chance's tail go bottle-brush stiff in a second.

"Just how does somebody get classified?" The tabby asked carefully. "What does it take?"

"Trial in abstanshia," Kathie spoke up quickly. "Classification requires three acts of war on the city done by an individual, rather than a government. We have to either prove the named party is responsible, or they must claim responsibility. Dark Kat, Dr. Viper and Past Master have all been classified as Omegas. Turmoil, Chopshop and Hard Drive have not been. She only made one attack, they did not commit an act of war."

"Okay," Chance nodded, relaxing and swinging his tail around to smooth it out. "I'm guessing you've already heard why I freaked there," he chuckled lowly.

"I'm familiar with it," she smiled slightly. "Vigilantism is not something Felina or I encourage, and certainly not to be written into law. A great deal of effort was put into writing that legislation so that is was difficult to abuse."

"Good," he nodded. "I might be able to enforce a law like that one better than some, but I would really, _really_ be surprised if I was pushing for it."

"You didn't," she shook his head. "Felina, Mayor Briggs and I did, among others. You were one of the more vocal opponents, and the reason it's as difficult as it is to be classified under the law."

"Heh - sorry about that, but I've had bad experiences with people deciding that certain individuals were beyond the law's ability to punish the right way," he said, not sure how much he could explain.

After all, there still wasn't a statute of limitations on some of what he'd done, and this wasn't Feral. He trusted his wingleader, but as Commander, her priorities had to be different.

"It's good to have a dissenting voice with something so sweeping," Kathie said easily. "We are still on good terms, Chance. You're one of the best instructors we have; you produce good pilots and teach them honor and duty well."

"Glad to hear it," he smiled. "Is there anything else we need to hear, before we go read the report? Oh... and where the heck are we going to be staying? I'm guessing our old place is probably out of the question on several levels."

"Yes, quite," she nodded with a chuckle. "Rico will show you to the apartment we arranged for your stay."

"After dinner," the black Mouse grinned. "How does pizza sound?"

"Never turned it down before," Chance grinned. "Dinner and talking things over some?"

"That's the plan," Rico promised and stood.

"Dismissed," Kathie saluted them. "You have a lot of work ahead of you."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Chance said, returning the salute before they left.

* * *

"Some apartment," Jake murmured as he looked around what he could see of the two-level ambassador suite in the International Hills Hotel from its front entryway. " _I_ didn't even stay in places like this."

"Not like I did, unless it was on guard duty," Chance agreed as they made a cautious and slight awe-filled progress into the marble-lined. "Wow. Budget for the Enforcers must've gone _way_ the Hell up."

"For all we know now, I arranged for it," Jake chuckled and began to relax a bit. "If I'm back in the cooperate world, I expect I have some pull with the folks who can arrange it. Corps _do_ put people up in places like this, and so does the city. I have to give whoever picked this credit. It's got space for me to work on the shuttle right here, the security is absolutely top notch, and folks at a place like this will never blink no matter what you ask for or at what hour."

"We'll just have to hope that your usual requests are available, for when you're working," Chance chuckled. "So, what do you think of the future? Better than I'd expected, in a lot of ways."

"The fact that we both see our centennial is kinda a shock," Jake admitted and slid his arms around his mate before he stretched up for a kiss. "And yes, it's a lot better than I expected," he murmured when their mouths parted.

"Mmm... want to take advantage of being socially acceptable?" Chance purred, kissing Jake again, pulling the lean tom's shirt off and running his fingers through his cinnamon fur.

"Yes," he shivered and arched into the contact with a moan even as he reached down to unbuckle Chance's belt. "Go out to party, or celebrate here?"

"Well, the Commander _did_ tell us not to party too much," Chance grinned, undoing Jake's belt and sliding his hands into the tom's pants to squeeze his ass. "Wanna test that bit about 'won't blink whatever you ask for'?"

"Depends on what you want to ask for," Jake laughed playfully and kissed him soundly, rubbing their groins together. "I expect the bedroom is set up with anything we'd want at this age."

"Mmm... point," Chance rumbled into the kiss. "I'm thinking of tying you down and seeing how long it takes for you to beg me to fuck you," the tabby grinned, pulling Jake up against him.

"Not as long as you'd want," he chuckled even as he relaxed. "I'm all yours."

"I never said I'd do it right away when you started begging," Chance grinned, stripping down the rest of the way. "Want to go make yourself comfortable while I look for supplies?"

"All right," Jake stole a last kiss before walking of the grand central staircase and checking out rooms until he spotted, to his eye at least, the master bedroom with it's grand four-poster bed, fine linins and solid polished marble floor that reflected the polished darkwood of the walls. "At least I can be sure it's seen far kinkier than we do," he shook his head and jumped on the bed, testing it's firmness.

"If it hasn't I think that's some sort of crime," Chance mused as he looked through the dressers and cuboards in the room. "How's the bed?"

"Very nice," Jake purred and stretched out, making a shameless display of himself for his mate. "I think I'll have to invest in an upgrade when we get home.

"Mmm ... I think so," Chance purred, looking back at him after he'd found some simple silk ties. "Stretch your arms out, I'll leave your legs free."

Jake licked his whiskers back and complied, watching his mate eagerly as he was bound. He moaned as Chance's strong hands played down his chest and abs while the tabby joined him on the bed for a kiss where only their mouths touched.

Chance's tongue claimed his mouth as the tabby ran his powerful hand down Jake's body, slowly rubbing his pecs and abs until the lean tom was hard as a rock and rumbling deeply as he strained to move his hips under the wondering hands.

"Now, now, behave," Chance chuckled as he briefly broke their kiss. "You know it'll be worth it."

"I know," he shivered, whimpering softly as his body arched into the contact, eager for more. "Been too long."

"Well, then you can wait a bit longer," Chance purred, kissing Jake's neck, nipping it lightly as he continued to trail kisses down to Jake's chest, licking his nipples. "If you do get off, don't worry about it," he rumbled.

"Good," Jake panted, flicking his tail up to caress his mate's balls and sheath. "Remember our first time? How long I lasted."

"Mmm... well, I'll just have to make sure I go for quantity then," Chance smirked, sliding down further to lick Jake's balls, fingering his ass.

"Like you don't usually," he breathed in sharply at the pleasure and anticipation. "I never last long enough. Already just want you inside me."

"Well, don't tell me whether or not it's because you're just that eager, instead of because I'm that good," Chance smirked, drawing one of the heavy orbs into his mouth to lavish it with attention, scratching Jake's thigh lightly. The thick musk of Jake's arousal was intoxicating. So were the moans and squirming as he panted at the attention.

All too soon and Jake began to tremble, his body taunt against the restraints and his cock rigid as it leaked a few dribbles of pre-come onto the lean tom's fur.

"Don't hold back," Chance purred, slipping down to rim Jake lightly around his finger, the tom's balls balanced on his nose, filling his senses with Jake's arousal, his own cock hard as a rock and eager to be buried inside his mate.

"Won't ... be long," Jake all but promised, his body already beginning to milk the finger in his ass. His claws unsheathed as he grabbed the silk ropes securing his wrists. Only a few whimpered moans later and he let a sharp cry escape with his seed.

"You weren't kidding," Chance rumbled, shifting up to lick Jake's abs clean, still massaging his prostate lightly. "So... what other hot spots can I find on you?" He teased, shifting back down, licking the sensitive skin between his thighs and crotch playfully.

"For you, _everything_ ," Jake moaned, spreading his legs and lifting his knees to encourage him as his cock twitched at the continued attention. "Your cock must want some attention too."

"It does, but I can wait," Chance rumbled. "Just means I'll go off like a firehose when I _do_ fill you," he grinned, nuzzling along Jake's legs as he pulled his fingers free, focusing on parts of his lover's body he usually didn't. Down the inside of Jake's legs, then up his body for a kiss while he rubbed their cocks together lightly.

"If you aren't going to fuck me yet, I want you balls," Jake rumbled hotly as their mouths parted.

"Works for me," Chance grinned, shifting to straddle Jake's face and leaned forward to brace against the headboard, knowing this would get him off between his current arousal and Jake's well-practiced skill.

A low groan of pleasure escaped Chance's throat when Jake slowly slid his tongue over and around one heavy orb. They both relished the effect it had on the tabby, and the pleasure that shot through Chance's body when Jake sucked one of his balls into his mouth to work on it.

"Mmm... good boy," Chance groaned, reaching down with one hand to scratch Jake's ears as his tongue worked the tabby's balls. "Want me to be careful, or all over your face?" He grinned.

"Down my throat," Jake suggested, excited all the more by what it implied would go with it, before he focused on getting his mate off in a way only he really did.

Chance pulled his balls out of Jake's mouth with a groan, turning to force his cock down Jake's throat as he roared and pumped his first load into his throat, starting to thrust before he was even finished. His hands close around the lean tom's head, guiding him roughly and forcing him into what felt best, not worried by now comfortable Jake was.

Even after ... however long they'd been together ... it still took conscious effort to do this, to treat his partner and mate like an object, as less than a hooker even. It was impossible to miss how much Jake got off on it though, and by the time Chance pumped a second load down his throat, he could smell how close to coming Jake was.

"That's right," Chance groaned, reaching down to wrap his hands around Jake's throat, tightening his grip a little. Not enough to completely cut off his airway, but enough that it was noticeable. "Mmm... come for me, you little bitch," he grinned, thrusting hard into Jake's eager mouth once the surprised look faded into compliance.

As Jake's breath began to quicken but grew shallower, he closed his eyes, whimpering around the thick cock blocking most of his throat. He couldn't help but think of a few conversations he'd had before he stopped admitting that he did this. He didn't understand the high they got. They didn't understand that this was about trust and submission, not the act itself.

"Suck me off," Chance growled demandingly, thrusting just a bit harder as Jake began to suck, his body trembling. When Chance let his tail caress his partner's straining cock, the explosion of Jake's seed soaked the underside of Chance's tail.

Chance roared and came again, releasing his hands to brace himself as his balls pulled up close, finally pulling out of Jake's mouth and moving around to rub his hips.

"Still up for me under your tail?" Chance purred, leaning forward to kiss Jake's chest.

"Always," he panted with a somewhat loopy smile, his body trembling lightly from both the two orgasms and catching his breath, as well as anticipation. "May I roll over?"

"Go ahead," Chance chuckled, leaning back up. "Mmm... hope they pay the cleaning staff here well."

"They do," Jake grinned before he shifted, making the somewhat awkward change to his chest with his hips in the air without his hands free. "Fuck me?" He glanced over his shoulder.

"With pleasure," Chance grinned, climbing into place and thrusting into Jake's ass without any more prep, hilting inside him with a roar of pleasure.


	30. Some Things Never Change

"You are going to spend at least one night on the town," Rico said with folded arms and his gaze leveled on Jake. "There is no hurry on this end of the time stream."

"Chance can appreciate it for both of us," Jake said, his voice muffled by the futuristic alien shuttle he was head, shoulders and hips into.

"Jake, what day is it?" Chance asked, crossing his arms.

Instead of answering, Jake sighed and slid out. "You are getting _far_ too good at that, you know," he gave his partner a mock scowl. "So where are we going?" he turned his attention to the Mouse.

"I was thinking of the Beachfront," he said. "It's a general admittance club. While they allow public sex, it's much more about the music and socializing. I thought it would be good for you to see one where it's not just the gay crowd."

"I ought to be after this long," Chance chuckled lowly. "And sounds good to me; be nice to be able to be a couple without trouble. What are the odds we'll run into somebody we shouldn't?"

"Extremely low," Rico told him and offered two small totes, one to each of them. "Appropriate clubbing clothes," he said. "Everyone you shouldn't meet has been warned to stay away for the night."

"See? It'd be a shame not to take advantage of it," Chance chuckled, taking a look inside the tote. "Just how loose are the rules on conduct in clubs?" He asked as he stripped down with Jake to dress in the soft Enforcer-gray leather. To Chance's eye, they were dressed as equals, and not particularly kinky.

"The primary is to keep it consensual, and if it's a hooker or dancer, to pay them," Rico started with the top ones. "Keep the kinks light. No playing master/pet, spilling blood or things that constitute assault on the street. It is a _dance_ club, not Warlords."

"No problem, never that fond of the place," Chance chuckled. "Besides, I'm still used to the days when it was raided regularly."

"It amazes me it stayed in business long enough to make it to the legal tolerance stage," Rico shook his head. "Ready to go?"

"High powered clientele," Chance winked. "And yeah, I'm ready. We'll figure out rules for the night on the way," he said, glancing at Jake.

"Standard rules work for me," Jake smiled shyly at him and followed Rico out of their mansion of an apartment and to the private elevator to the parking garage.

"I arranged for a couple classic bikes for you," Rico said as they stepped out and lead them to the VIP parking and two top of the line Katelina racing motorcycles and what looked like it would be a hoverbike, since it didn't have wheels.

"Very nice," Chance whistled lowly. "You realize that letting Jake see yours is dangerous, to say the least," he grinned.

"He designed it," Rico grinned and put on his helmet with more care that most would to settle his antennae into the right place. "It runs on the same tech that the shuttle uses, and it's _amazing_ to ride. I thought it would be best if you didn't have to learn how to drive just for tonight, and if you get drunk, don't worry about it. There's a driver that can pick us up."

"Good to know," Chance nodded as he climbed on. "Wheeled vehicles the exception instead of the rules these days?"

"Not yet, probably not for another century or so," Rico said as he keyed on the comm system in their helmets on. "It is still much, much cheaper to built and maintain ground vehicles. This was a personal commission."

"Glad we won't stick out too much," Chance chuckled, revving his engine as he keyed up his own comm system. "At least not in too many ways."

"These three bikes together will draw more attention than we do," Rico promised as the alteration field of his bike lifted him slightly off the ground and lead the two classic bikes out onto the busy road. "I'll draw far more attention that you. Even now, I'm one of only two Mice that live full time in MegaKat City, and she's more of a half-time resident."

"We likely to meet her before we leave?" Chance asked curiously. "Or do you generally stay out of town?"

"Carbin stays in town, but anything else will be at one of the Mouse settlements," Rico said. "I'm more than half expecting her tonight, just because she knows you're coming. She's officially stationed in the Telikarian Desert and the matriarchal governments of Treveris and the Golden Kingdom, among others. She comes by to commiserate regularly."

"They still hate each other's guts, huh?" Chance shook his head. "The more things change...."

"They've been at war for more than five millennia," Jake said dryly. "Probably more than ten. Something a insignificant as a world government isn't going to change that."

"We tend to commiserate more on Mouse matters," Rico said more quietly. "She's there for the much the same reason I'm here."

"Ouch... sorry about that," Chance winced. "With those two countries, politics seemed a more obvious target. So, want us to leave you to spend some time with her when we get there?"

"No need," he shook his head. "She'll be there to meet you two, and probably not spend more than a few hours. This isn't a time off she has any more than I do."

"Just offering," Chance chuckled. "If things go well, we'll make ourselves scarce, and not tell anybody," he promised.

"Thanks," Rico gave him a smile over his shoulder and they fell silent for the rest of the drive to the moonlit beach. It was still busy on the sand, the warm air and warm sea still attractive to a lot of people. When Rico signaled them to turn into a crowded parking lot, it was clear that the Beachfront was no small, tolerant club.

It was huge. A full warehouse converted to a club that drenched the surrounding land in throbbing lights and the beat of loud music.

"This is a happening place," Chance observed as he watched those entering. A group of three shekats a bit younger than they were, all well-dressed and well-groomed, and just friends from their body language as they paid their cover charge and continued in.

"One of the most successful ones," Rico said as they put their helmets on their bikes and straitened their leathers out before following the Mouse to the main door, one big enough it probably used to be for truck docking.

"Hi, Rico!" the big Panther at the door greeted him with a welcoming grin. "So these are the VIPs you've been playing guard for?"

"For lack of a better term," the Mouse laughed. "Yes, this is Jake and Chance. Guys, yell for Vance if you need something."

"Or Greg if it's a drink," the Panther have them a half smirk of a grin. "I'm a bouncer, not a waiter."

"No problem," Chance grinned. "Glad to meet you, Vance."

"Have a good time," Vance nodded to them as they walked into the club's main floor, a place that was two-thirds dance floor and one third seating around small round tables.

"Drinks are on the upper level, but there are waiters floating around to take orders too," Rico said even as the club patrons became aware of his presence. Most reacted with curiosity, but it wasn't hard to pick out the ones with too much predatory instinct and alcohol on board.

"Thanks," Chance nodded. "If you run into trouble, give a shout, okay?" He asked, glancing over at a Tiger who was unconsciously licking his lips.

"I will," Rico agreed as they found a table off to one side with a good view of the action, the doors and a reasonably protected side. "I'm used to them. Every time I go out at least a few think I'm food."

"Anybody ever try acting on it?" Chance asked him with a bit of a frown.

"A few times," he admitted as a waiter came up to their table. "Most of the time I can get them to back off without a fight, but a few I've had to teach that my kind of Mouse is too dangerous to hunt."

"You use your telepathy to get them to back off?" Jake guessed.

"When I can," Rico said. "Drunk enough, or focused enough, and it doesn't work very well."

"Makes sense," Chance nodded. "So, what would you recommend for new types of drink around here?"

"Hard drinks, Lothos Dream or Skyspider. For lighter ones," he turned more to Jake. "A Silver Mink, Island Walk or Sweet Fish. I'll have a Midnight Mouse," he told the scantily dressed effeminate, black and brown tomkat.

"I'll try the Skyspider," Chance chuckled. "Sounds interesting."

"I'll have a Silver Mink," Jake decided.

"Cute guy," Chance observed as their waiter walked off to get their drinks. "Nice to be able to admit it."

"I bet," Rico smiled slightly as they all took in the scene, and the attention they were getting at a distance. "I'm sure it was accelerated by the appearance of my people as planetary residents, and a handful of other alien colonies and permanent visitors. Aristal isn't part of the galactic community, but we are building our first tentative alliances out there with the help of those who know the politics out there. Apparently by the time there was a world government, Aristal had quite a reputation as a dangerous place to go."

"Somehow, I can't be surprised," Jake admitted. "If we didn't have a solid defense we didn't know about, we should have been conquered a long time ago."

"We've beaten back a few assaults on our own too," Chance pointed out, his pride hurt just a bit to have his partner discount what their efforts had done.

"You're both right," Rico halted the conversation from deteriorating any further. "The gods do make sure Aristal remains theirs, but only when they agree that you, the Kats and Kantin, can't do it on your own."

"Understandable," Jake nodded and glanced around. "How ... did the Champion contest go down?"

It took Rico a moment to place what was being asked. "I have very little understanding of it, but I do know that Halikar's Champion had major victories. I doubt they won them all, or the Omega problem wouldn't still be rampant."

"Well, at least the city and civilization are intact through it," Chance offered. "Beats some of 'em, from what I've heard."

"Definitely," Jake agreed. "If we have a world government, the law-gods made some massive advancement."

"They did," a college-aged calico shekat said with a smile as she brought over their drinks. "I waylaid your waiter, I hope you all don't mind?" The Calico asked with a giggle, handing their drinks over, careful to lean forward enough that she showed off her cleavage.

"Subtle you are not," Jake couldn't help but chuckle. "Who are you?" he asked before taking a sip of the sparkling silver-white drink in a large glass.

"Erin Tagger," she smiled, taking a seat. "Working on my Ph.D. in history, recognized you when you came in."

"And looking for a little first-person information not dulled by sixty years?" Chance guessed as he regarded the shot glass with bright blue liquid spider laced with sparkling black lines in a spiderweb pattern.

"Mmm ... that, and a good time," she grinned. "I figure with three cute guys, I shouldn't strike out _every_ time," she winked.

"It's a good start," Chance grinned at her, giving her relatively revealing outfit a good looking over. "So what did you want to get into first?" he purred throatily as Jake leaned back with an amused grin to watch his partner in action.

"Ooh, open question," she grinned, leaning back in her seat, her skimpy dress revealing a good chunk of her midriff and breasts through a transparent material that filled in the 'moon' shaped curve that went down her side, hugging her curves nicely. "What was it like, being mates in the Enforcers?"

"Not much different than being partners, for us," Chance admitted, thinking back. "We've lived together since we graduated the Academy as partners."

"We've only been lovers seven months," Jake added. "Three of those in other times. The first three years we weren't."

"But how did you handle the regulations, and trying to get time to be together in the barracks?" She asked, cocking her head slightly. "Or were the other times ones when it was acceptable?"

"We wish," Chance chuckled lowly. "A lot of time spent nearly abstinent, and not living in barracks the rest of the time. I was actually pretty surprised that we were better treated in Traveris during Megawar II than we were in Megakat City, in a lot of ways."

Erin didn't even try to hide her shock. "Do you know why?"

"We were classified as warrior toms, and we proved that we deserved the status," Jake said simply. "That meant we were treated as the most honored kind of guest. As for barracks ... honestly, before Traveris we were spending too much time in the air and in combat to care. When you're running that hard, all you want to do is sleep any moment you aren't on duty."

"I imagine," she nodded.

"Yeah; mostly, Traveris gave us some time on our own, and we had some actual privacy," Chance explained. "However, it was possible to get some action if you wanted to... are the mainstream history books getting any better about acknowledging it? Or is that what you're working on?"

"Some are," she said. "My thesis is on LGBT life during the pre-Unity Megakat City era," she explained. "Primarily from Megawar II on - first source research still wins lots of brownie points with review boards," she grinned.

"And it's hard to get more first source than a couple guys who were out and there," Jake chuckled. "You buy the food and drinks, we'll talk all you want, as long as it's not classified."

"Sure," she giggled, glancing at Chance playfully. "I've got other ways to pay too," she winked.

"I'm sure you do," he chuckled. "Maybe later though," he winked back.

She was just about to ask something when Rico's head snapped around and his body went slightly stiff. Everyone followed his gaze to the entrance, and the milky white Mouse female wearing an outfit that was only just street legal, the black leather skirt only a few inches long and the upside down V of a top barely an inch-wide strip of satin.

"Carbin?" Jake guessed, watching the curious reaction, considering Rico's previous statements about her.

"Yeah," he barely breathed. "Never seen her dress like _that_."

"Well, she's happy to see _somebody_ here," Chance whistled before glancing at Erin. "In a bit?" He suggested.

"Sure," she smiled. "Maybe tomorrow, if necessary," she winked, watching the Mouse approach appreciatively.

"With the kitties?" Carbin asked Erin without preamble as her tail snaked up Rico's side. She smiled at the gasp he made when the tip of her tail slid along one antenna.

"Still under negotiation, but the Mouse is all yours," Erin grinned.

"Good," Carbin licked her lips and turned to the black Mouse still staring at her in something close to shock.

"But..." Rico didn't get any further before she slid down to sit on his lap, her legs spread to press their groins together as she silenced him with a kiss. "Carbin ... on duty," he objected with a groan and shudder than ran from the top of his antennae to the tip of his tail wrapped around her waist.

"To keep an eye on the kitty boys?" she said as her tail disappeared between them and the sound of a zipper filled the silence of his effort to coordinate an answer.

Eventually he managed to nod after she broke a hungry kiss.

"Then watch them while they talk to her, and you fill me," she groaned deeply as their bodies shifted and she sank down, taking his hard cock into her body. She arched herself up, using her tail to assist their movement and hold them together, and closed her mouth around one of his antennae.

With his mouth trembling against the nape of her neck, he slid his tail around her back to stroke her antennae in return.

"Damn, that's hot," Erin murmured, shifting as her arousal began to spike.

"Yeah," Jake hadn't taken his eyes off the scene yet, and its effect on him was clearly visible.

"Mmm ... care to follow their example?" Chance purred throatily as he made the open offer, clearly enjoying the show as much as either of the others.

Erin shot a glance at Jake, trying to make it clear he had first dibs on his mate, and licked her lips when she saw him sink below the table and the way Chance's eyes rolled back shortly after the sound of his zipper being pulled down.

"Well, as long as _his_ mouth's busy," she grinned, climbing up onto the table and leaning forward to kiss Chance deeply.

"Why... mmm... isn't mine?" He grinned, reaching up to take her hips in his hands, pulling the crotch of her outfit to the side before leaning down to first inhale her potently aroused scent, then to part her slick folds with his rough tongue.

"Oh, yeah!" Erin moaned deeply, her body arching as the pleasure raced through her body like a wildfire.

Chance grinned, lifting her hips so her legs were wrapped around his shoulders as he ate her out with gusto, moaning into her pussy as Jake sucked his cock with all his skill. The tabby slipped his thick fingers down, sliding one up into her pussy as she leaned over and caught one of Rico's antennae in her mouth, suckling the tip and working it with both sides of her tongue.

The Mouse cried out sharply and gripped Carbin tightly as he came hard inside her. "Keep going," he moaned almost desperately to her.

She grinned, obliging him happily, stroking the bulk of its length as she rubbed her clit hard and fast, panting as Chance's tongue drove her closer and closer to her first orgasm of the night.

The tabby reached down, stroking Jake's ears, about ready to come himself, but trying to hold off until he'd given Erin an orgasm. He knew it wouldn't take much more with the way she was squirming in his hands and around his mouth. He was absently wondering if the two Mice had something to do with the lust, beyond being a show, but it was hard to think about it when Erik rowled and stiffened on the table. Her juices flowed over his tongue as she panted and slowly relaxed.

Chance moaned deeply, drinking her juices as his balls pulled up and emptied themselves into Jake's hungry mouth. He pulled back after a moment, licking her thighs clean.

"Want the main event?" He asked with a hungry purr.

"Oh yeah," she grinned at him down her lightly quivering body. "Give it to me," she spread her legs a little, eager to have him inside her and feel the thrust of a hungry tom take her to the edge again.

"Care to dance?" A sleek black Wolf asked Jake as he stood. "Looks like you're getting left out a little."

Jake considered the scene, two het pairings lost in each other, and the attractive male Wolf who was looking to dance, and cracked a smile. "Why not," he took the offered hand and walked towards the dance floor, his hard-on obvious but ignored.

"How do you prefer to have that taken care of?" The black Wolf asked Jake as they drew close to dance to music Jake didn't know but could still feel the beat of.

"You don't need to," Jake said the truth easily. "It doesn't bother me."

"C'mon," the Wolf chuckled as they both started moving to the beat. "You come out here, your boyfriend drops you for a chick... least I could do," he winked. "Besides, not like it'd be a chore," he added with a grin. "Name's Tyson," he told Jake, brushing his thick tail against the lean tom's abs and drifting down to his groin.

"Jake," he responded thoughtfully, dancing a little closer. "Just don't tie," he decided with a low purr.

"Promise," Tyson grinned, pressing up slightly against Jake. "So, see anywhere you like for a little privacy?" He rumbled hotly. "Or are you a water cat?"

"Water," Jake couldn't help but shiver in excitement and press closer to the Wolf. "You smell good," he purred softly.

"Thank you," he rumbled deeply. "You do too," he added, moving them slowly more towards the edge of the dance floor as the song continued, and continued until walked outside into the light night breeze on the boardwalk. They were both quiet, their tails teasing each other as they walked across the beach to the water's edge.

"How do you like it?" Tyson rumbled as he pulled Jake against him.

"Hard, fast, violent," Jake growled in open hunger, his body soft and compliant in the Wolf's arms as he invited the attention.

"That outfit waterproof, cutie?" Tyson growled lowly, reaching around to fondle Jake's crotch.

"Don't know, don't care," he shuddered and pressed into the touch.

"Good," Tyson grinned, drawing Jake into the water. "Get those leathers off," he ordered as he stripped his own pants down, kicking them off onto the dry sand and watched, stroking himself to full hardness as Jake pulled his pants down and dropped to his hands and knees in the shallow lapping water to offer his ass.

Tyson grabbed his ass, getting onto his own knees as he sank his stiffening meat into Jake's tight body, groaning lowly as he started to thrust hard and deep.

"Oh yeah," he grinned before he grabbed Jake's scruff in his jaws and road the lean tom hard, relishing the rare opportunity to truly dominate another.

Jake's moans and whimpers of pleasure and the raw, hot arousal rolling off him was intoxicating.

The Wolf gladly gave himself over to that intoxication for a time, drinking it in and fucking the kat hard and fast and deep, pouring one load of semen after another into his ass. But eventually, business had to overcome pleasure. With practiced ease, he slipped his hands up on Jake's throat, pinching off the major arteries. It only took a few seconds, not even long enough for the tom to react, and Jake went limp under him.

It was a little awkward, keeping Jake under but unhurt, while he swum them both out to the boat waiting for them half way out into the surf, but nobody would know about his disappearance until they were gone.

"Hand me a spare pair of pants," he told one of his packmates lowly after he'd slung Jake up onto the deck and climbed out of the surf while they bound the Kat. "And get us out of here."

"How distracted is his partner and that Mouse?" one of the others asked as they got underway and Tyson got dressed.

"Utterly and completely," he chuckled and sat down as they sped off to meet up with their mothership over the horizon. "A female Mouse came in, hot as hell and barely willing to wait to make sure the male was willing before they started fucking. The tabby and some girl they were talking with are in the same state. I doubt they'll stop until last call. I know you're awake, Jake," he added with an affectionate ruffle of the cinnamon tom's short, wet hair. "No need to play dead."

"You going to tell me anything I want to know?" Jake growled at him, his tail lashing in frustration and mute anger.

"As long as we know it and we're sure you're not bugged - no reason not too," Tyson shrugged. "Though, of course, we're going to be careful about you finding out _certain_ specifics."

"Why'd you grab me?" Jake settled down, though he continued to squirm a bit as he tried to work out of his bindings.

"Stop that, or we'll have to be rougher with you," the other Wolf told him gruffly.

"Our Alpha wants your help with a little project of his. He's been working on it for a year or two, but he thinks you'll be able to finish the work," Tyson explained.

"Given he's apparently unable to hire me, this isn't going to get him very far," Jake pointed out, though he stopped squirming as he looked around at his captors. Three Wolves, all with a special ops feel to them, and they were headed out to sea. It was a bad situation at best.

"He can be _very_ persuasive. He wouldn't have be the Alpha if he couldn't," Tyson chuckled lowly. "Besides, there are worse things you could do with yourself."

Without so much as a warning glance, Jake twisted and rolled over the edge of the boat and into the dark water. As he kicked with his feet, going nearly strait down, searching for the current he knew would be there, he brought his wrists to his mouth to chew the bindings off. He just hoped that his captors thought he'd head directly for shore.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only things down here he had to worry about. A few curious sea-fish swam by, looking at him, but they took off after a brief moment, swimming for the shore as fast as they could.

A glance into the dark waters told him why - something big was swimming towards him, and it wasn't a Wolf.

He cursed to himself, and that he'd need to break the surface soon to breathe, but there was no helping it now. He pushed to the surface and took a series of deep breaths as he tried to place the Wolves, their boat and the shore before diving down to convince the shark he wasn't worth the effort.

He clawed at the gills and eyes of the shark, but it thrashed under him, trying to twist around to get a bite in on the strange, furry creature that was letting off that tempting smell. Jake saw a dark shape glide up next to him, and then a massive explosion of force as something was jabbed into the shark's side. While Jake was stunned, Tyson's hand closed around the scruff of his neck, hauling him towards the surface.

"Stupid fucking stubborn Kat!" he snarled as he hit the air. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Getting away," Jake growled as he went limply compliant, letting his body drift in the water as the boat came to pick them up.

"Getting eaten, more like it," he growled lowly, hauling Jake and himself both up into the both. "Get us out of here, before more sharks show up! And strap him to a bench or something!"

"Wouldn't have happened," Jake insisted, though he didn't fight it when he was bound far more securely. "Your Alpha have a name for me to use?"

"Dhiren Khan," Tyson told him. "Ruler in exile."

"What does he want me to build?" Jake asked with a resigned sigh and settled in to see what opportunity to escape would present itself next.

Chance was going to be _so_ pissed when he figured this out.

* * *

Back at the Beachfront, Chance was starting to come out of the haze of arousal that Rico and Carbin had been creating. Erin was off somewhere else, getting filled by the Tiger who'd been with the Tigress who was beneath Chance now, getting her ass pumped full of tabby spunk... it wasn't a full-blown orgy yet, but everybody at the two or three tables surrounding the two Mice had been swapping partners since they'd gotten started.

At the same time... Chance wasn't really getting bored, but he _was_ starting to wonder where Jake was!

He pulled out of the Tigress beneath him, panting as he licked her neck lightly.

"Gotta take a break, gorgeous," he rumbled, finding his pants and pulling them back on before walking off to see if he could see where the Wolf had taken his mate.

Once he'd gotten a dozen paces away, the haze dropped off rapidly. With his mind clear, it sunk in just how much those two had affected him. It didn't take him long to walk the rest of the club floor to confirm what he was already fairly sure of.

Jake wasn't in the building.

"Shit!" He swore under his breath. He hurried out to the beach, where he found a discarded pair of pants, some tracks, but nothing else... except the carcass of a shark washing up, the obvious wound from a bang stick in its side.

He ran back in at a dead bolt, holding his breath to keep it at _just_ the psychic overload as he ran to the table.

"Jake's missing," he hissed in Rico's large ear. "Either pulled out by the current or katnapped!"

The news was more than enough to jar the Mouse out of the lustful stupor he was in. "Damn it. Carbin," he turned his attention to getting his lover off his lap. "Enough girl. My charge is missing."

"Just a little more," she moaned, reaching out to stroke one of his antennae quickly, drawing another ragged cry of orgasmic pleasure out of him before she reluctantly slid off his still-hard cock and let him go.

"Want some kitty cock, hot stuff?" the Tiger asked with a rumble, already reaching for her breasts.

"Till you're dry," she grinned back at him and pushed him to the ground to ride his cock as hard as she had Rico's.

"Gotta get away," Rico gasped, his body and mind still tightly wrapped up in the mating he had just ended.

"Damn, is she in _heat_ tonight?" Chance asked, grabbing Rico's wrist and dragging him away.

"We don't have cycles like you do, but yes," he nodded. "She's fertile and her body's ready to carry a kit. Never thought she'd choose me," he added after he finally got to get a full breath of clear air. "I hope she doesn't get in any more trouble for it," he said with a brief glance back before turning to Chance as he zipped himself up. "Where is the last place you found evidence of him?"

"Found a pair of pants tossed on the beach that might've belonged to the Wolf he walked off with - knowing Jake, there's a solid chance they were fucking in the water, and no knowing what might've happened from there," Chance explained briefly. "Riptides, the Wolf making off with him ... he'd have stopped by to tell me, at least, if he was going home with somebody willingly."

"How good is he at swimming in the ocean?" Rico asked as he inspected the scene, such as it was.

"Very good," Chance answered without question. "Some days I swear he's half fish."

"That's good. If it was a rip tide, he's probably made it back to shore," he said and sat down in the sand. "Try to clear your mind. I'm going to look for his mind."

Chance took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"Through me somehow, or is it all right if I try figuring this out without psychic stuff?" He asked, knowing it could be either way.

"Please investigate on your own," Rico said easily. "I'm not using you, it's just easier if there isn't a nova of thought going on next to my ear," he gave the tabby an understanding smile.

"Okay," Chance nodded, looking around, seeing if there were any rocks sticking out he could get a better view from. There might be something stuck on one of them.

That shark's carcass worried him... it could just be coincidence, but the bangstick meant it probably wasn't just a riptide he was dealing with here, it was somebody equipped for the issues that came with being out at sea.

He walked over to examine it a little closer, grateful for a nearly full moon for light, and his heart sunk. It wasn't just a bang stick that had hit the animal. He recognized Jake's instructions for dealing with an aggressive shark all too well. It was the kind of insane but effective move that was never taught in class.

With a shake of his head he moved on, running to the end of the dock to look out on the dark water and not-so-dark beach for a sign of his partner.

Finding nothing, he came back to see what Rico had come up with. Hopefully there's be something ... unfortunately a water-based katnapping would be impossible to trace, if that was what happened. If it was just that Jake was swept out and rescued... well, he'd hear back any time.

"Chance!" Rico's voice caught the tabby's attention as the nearly invisible Mouse stood in the darkness. "I got a hit. There's a ship over the horizon that's seen him in the last couple hours, and it wasn't fishing him out of the water kind. It's time to call in backup," he said grimly.

"You call 'em in, I'll head back home for the shuttle," Chance frowned. "They're not going to shoot it down, are they?"

"It's a sea ship," Rico told him. "A freighter. Take a bike and get your shuttle. Pick me up here."

"Right," Chance nodded, turning to run out for the bikes, hoping that he could figure out the hover bike fast - he was sure it would be faster.

* * *

"Here," Tyson untied Jake as the shuttle he'd been shoved into almost as soon as they'd gotten to the freighter. "Behave and you'll be treated well."

"Right," Jake muttered, though he complied. "Any chance at a shower and clean clothes before I meet the boss?"

"I'm sure he'd prefer it to a salt-crusted engineer," Tyson said dryly. "It won't take long for you to get ready. Clothes might not be your usual style, but I'm sure you'll deal with them."

"Most likely," Jake agreed and followed Tyson out and onto the landing pad enclosed inside a huge workshop-hangar-building. Two more Wolves walked behind him to make sure he behaved.

From what he could see of the projects that were being worked on... he had a good idea of just who the boss was. These were Dreadnoughts in progress, of the sort that Dark Kat would have been proud to call his own. And there were at least three being constructed here. When he spotted the red insignia painted on the nearly finished one, he knew some things would never change.

"So, the original, a clone, other dimensional, a kid or a poser?" Jake asked in conversation as they walked.

"The original was the poser; at the time, He wasn't able to act, but He provided the Dark Kat of your time with materials. Now, he plans to put them to use himself."

"What makes him think he'll be any more successful against a world government than the first one was against a city?" Jake asked as they walked him to a locker room with a shower room beyond it.

"For one thing, he won't make the mistake of one penny-ante plan after another. Those three Dreadnoughts you saw are only the start, and they're all going to attack at once."

"And the weapon I'm working on is going to be a centerpiece," Jake tried not to roll his eyes as he stripped down and turned the water on.

"The flagship, once I've confirmed that it isn't sabotaged," a deep voice rumbled. Glancing over at the source of it, Jake saw the towering figure of a Panther-Tiger hybrid, thick muscle rippling beneath his fur as he moved, dressed in what looked like casual wear for a courtier to one of the Eastern nations, all silk and leather.

"Right," Jake gave him a look that conveyed clearly that he was less than intimidated before he continued working on getting the dried sea out of his fur. "What are you expecting me to work out?" he asked simply.

"The targeting computer. Your AI's are still unparalleled, even in this time, at least in terms of AI's that haven't attempted to take over the world. Weapons I can create. Defenses I can create. But I don't have enough pilots to handle all the complexities of a fleet of Dreadnoughts reliably in actual combat."

"You are aware that I haven't actually built an AI yet?" Jake glanced over at him before putting his head under the shower to rinse off.

"This would be an excellent time to learn," he said bluntly. "I've got the basic framework, the issue is that final coaxing that it seems to take, then training it through the basics. If you prove incapable of doing what I want, I will find another use for you."

"What I expected," Jake shrugged and finished rinsing himself off before reaching for the blowers.

"Tyson, fetch him clothes and a brush. Have him brought to my computer lab once he is done," Dhiren instructed the Wolf, turning to leave as the Wolf left, leaving one of the others in his pack to keep guarding Jake.


	31. Of Mice and War

Two days after Jake disappeared, Chance found himself standing on the forested side of a mountain near Saydan Bay with five Mice, including Rico, and no regular Enforcers. He'd been told they were outside the concealed entrance of a large secret base inside the mountain they were on, but he had no clue. He'd also been warned that Coni'chu, the heavily tattooed tawny furred male, and Xalda, a blue-eyed, black furred older female with them were shifters, but he hadn't seen them shift yet.

He rather hoped he wouldn't, but he knew it was a vain hope. They were here because they'd need the combat muscle.

Of course, he didn't know the politics involved. He knew they were outside of Sayden Bay, they might not like Enforcers so close by. Even with a world government in place, it didn't mean old rivalries had gone the way of official national borders.

"Does anybody know what sort of forces are in there?" Chance asked quietly, checking his own gear while a piebald female with gray tiger-like stripes. He was pretty sure she was called Tami, but he hadn't heard a sound out of her yet.

"A small army," Blaster, a steel gray and black male the size of a Xanith, told him. "It's preparing for war."

"Just how much damage are we going to do beyond rescuing Jake?" Chance asked grimly. He knew there was going to have to be more... he just wasn't sure how much. He'd had a hard time getting involved in this as much as he had; he had a feeling that they'd thought he'd be in the way, but it might have been something else.

Granted, he could list an impressive number of reasons he could be a hindrance. He wasn't a path, he wasn't up to modern training, he didn't know how to fight in their group, they didn't know how he'd react to their war-form in combat. He didn't even know the modern weapons and vehicles well enough to use them effectively.

All they knew was that he'd do anything to protect his partner, and that if they didn't take him along, he'd try a rescue on his own.

"As much as we can. This isn't a legal installation," Rico said quietly. " I know you can handle yourself. Just stay with me."

Chance nodded, flipping the safety on his blaster rifle off. He felt a strange blend of fish out of water and right at home... on the one hand, this was the sort of operation he'd never been involved in. On the other hand, it wasn't _that_ different from getting ready to bust out a Lothosian bunker.

Just much, much bigger, and with no real artillery to soften them up. He just hoped Kathie'd been right about these shifters being enough on their own... and that they could tell the difference between friend and foe in a fight.

"Ready," he told Rico quietly, his eyes joining everyone else on Tami as she worked the door controls until it complied and slid open.

The odd mix of familiar and strange heightened as all six fell silent. He was used to not talking on a raid. No hand signals, except from Rico to him, wasn't nearly as comfortable.

He honestly couldn't be sure if he was worried or relieved when Rico signaled him to follow one path, Tami on their heals, while Coni'chu, Xalda and Blaster went another. He was with those after Jake. He was sure the combat monsters were out to cause a distraction and heavy damage.

Rico took the lead, near a dead run. Chance was sure he must have a lock on Jake's mind to be moving that fast.

He followed as fast as he could, senses alert for any sign of an incoming attack - he didn't know just how much Rico's focus blocked him from noticing what was around him. He _was_ sure that something would be waiting for them. There was no way it would be that easy.

He wasn't prepared for when Tami skidded to a stop with Rico, both Mice braced to absorb and stop his momentum so they wouldn't cross an intersection.

"* _Six targets coming,_ *" Rico's voice said directly in his mind. Even prepped for this, it was startling. So was suddenly knowing things he couldn't, like what their opponents were seeing and how alert they were.

He also wasn't prepared when he 'saw' they were a patrol of creeplings.

"I thought you guys said you'd killed this bastard," he muttered, flipping his rifle to full auto and waiting for the creeplings.

"* _He was,_ *" Rico said silently. "* _This could be a clone, a relative, a poser, from another dimension or time. You know how many ways there are to cheat death._ *"

Chance couldn't argue with that as he watched Rico snake his tail around the corner along where the floor and wall met. Without a bit of warning a creepling was suddenly in his hands, it's neck snapped before it could do more than give a startled squawk.

The rest of the patrol let out cries of their own, rushing into the intersection to meet their attackers. Chance fired a spray of shots, and was more than a little surprised when two of them actually ducked.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tami step out and face one of them. Their eyes locked briefly, and the creepling went stiff, dropping dead a moment later.

Rico tore the last one's throat out with a whiplash from his tail, now decorated with a series of bladed rings. He motioned them to follow, heading the way the creeplings had come from.

"* _Any better idea where Jake is?_ *" He asked, pushing the idea to the surface of his mind carefully even as the entire base went on full alert, sirens and flashing red lights alerting everyone and everything that something big and bad was going on.

"* _There is a huge computer lab in the guts of the base._ *" Rico told him as he took a corner at speed. "* _Jake's there, working. They brought him lunch a little bit ago._ *"

"* _How's the other team doing?_ *" Chance asked them, watching out for any more patrols, his ears and alert for any hint of an ambush, and for the traps the Mice couldn't 'hear' coming. Creeplings usually weren't clever enough for that, but this batch seemed a bit brighter.

"* _Very well,_ *" Tami told him with a vicious grin and added some mind-pictures of the chaos they were causing in the main hanger. "* _He may know about us, but there is nothing that can prepare a force to fight Loup Maru._ *"

It only took that long to realize that it wasn't just the two Loup Maru there. He caught glimpses of at least a dozen different fur patterns in the horned monsters.

"Freeze!" Chance suddenly hissed under his breath, and true to his training, Rico didn't twitch a muscle. "* _Pressure sensitive floor._ *" he added from his mind, only briefly wondering that they didn't understand what they were looking at before he realized _he_ shouldn't be seeing it that way.

"* _You're seeing what Tami does, but you knew what it was,_ *" Rico explained. "* _Combat senses. It bleeds senses across the team._ *"

"* _Good to know,_ *" Chance thought back. "* _Given Dark Kat's methods, there's probably an obvious path across if you know the mindset._ *"

"* _Do you?_ *" Tami turned to look at him, offering him the full extent of her cybernetic sight.

"* _It looks familiar,_ *" Chance nodded. "* _Step where I do, unless I get zapped,_ *" he added with a wink.

"* _Are you always this reassuring?_ *" Rico responded.

"* _Nah - sometimes I'm a pessimist._ *" Chance started out, carefully putting his foot down on the tiles in the second row of the five that stretched across the corridor. He started walking down the narrow path, going straight across.

After that nuke, he was sure that Dark Kat would go for the most obvious approach; it was when you expected finesse, like everybody did, that you were in for a disaster.

He knew the two mice, Rico then Tami, walked in single file behind him. It was rather reassuring that these two trusted him enough to follow him.

"Crud!" Chance suddenly snarled and lunged to the side, landing with difficulty in what he was sure was the other safe zone, only to dig his boots against the floor and made a dead bolt run for the door on the far side.

Automated blast rifles fired, tracing all three of them through the room. Chance had to stop dead in his tracks more than once, as the blaster tried to get ahead of him. It was luck, more than skill, that got him to the other side and under cover, clinging to the wall of the next passage and panting for breath.

"Bastard's upped his security," he growled as he noted that both Mice had made it was well.

"Fitting, given where we're going," Rico caught his breath. "We're close. Jake said he'd do what he can, but he can't unlock the door yet."

"If there's a physical lock, I can," Chance growled, pulling out a large pistol and inserting a clip. "Had a feeling I might want something with more punch than a blaster before this was through. How much farther?"

"One level down and half a mile that way," Rico motioned the way they'd been headed. "At least I'm pretty sure that's where Jake's mind is."

Tami paused, her mind flicking outside Chance's awareness for a moment. "* _This level connects with a viewing balcony to the lab,_ *"

"Let Jake know we're coming for the balcony," Chance decided. "Easier to blow whatever's blocking that than the door, I'm sure."

Rico nodded and they continued on, now keenly aware that somebody knew they were there, but the monsters ripping the place apart were more important to deal with to most. It meant they'd probably have mostly automated defenses to deal with.

Chance signaled for then to stop before they rounded a corner. He pulled out a hand mirror, sliding it carefully around the corner.

"* _There's an alarm, I think I can take it out,_ *" he told them. "* _Can one of you take the mirror?_ *"

Rico's tail slid forward to hold it exactly where the tabby had put it without getting in Chance's way.

Chance sat down, leaning back against the wall and adjusting his grip so he could pull the trigger with his thumb. He turned his hands sideways, slipping the barrel around and angling it carefully. He pulled the trigger, and the gun barked, sitting out a small rocket that quickly spun up to speed and exploded against the sensor.

"* _Move!_ *" He told them, spinning the gun to fire it normally as he sprang to his feet and rounded the corner, both Mice on his heals. They had to pause at a door so Tami could hack the lock.

"Down!" Rico shouted as it began to slide open. "* _Trap!_ *"

Chance ducked back, entirely too used to this sort of thing, though he had a feeling the Mice weren't. He was already firing a shot through the door as it opened; the Wolves behind it only reinforced the memories of Lothos as they rushed the group outside, one of them thrown back by the explosion that tore his arm off and most of his chest open.

Times like this, Chance could understand why most people switched to blasters. They were a lot less messy than bullets... and a Hell of a lot less messy than the rockets they'd given him for this trip.

He was also beginning to appreciate how effective the Mice were in combat as two more Wolves dropped dead from no apparent cause.

"* _Shielded!_ *" Tami cried out silently in a mixture of despair and anger as she drew a blaster and began to fire on them while the threesome retreated, Rico taking the brunt of the hand-to-hand combat, his tail a weapon the Wolves had difficulty countering.

"Fall back!" Chance yelled at them as he spotted a shoulder rocket launcher in the back preparing to launch.

He dropped, the Mice following suit, as the rocket flew over their heads and crashed into the wall behind them, shrapnel showering over them. Chance raised his gun and fired, the rockets going wild.

"* _Something's throwing the target off - can we get one of those bruisers in here?_ *" He thought to the Mice with an image of the monsters that were their kin in his mind.

Rico nodded. A brief moment later an electric charge raised the fur on everyone there. A shimmer distorted the wall on their left and a nearly black mouse-wolf monster stepped threw. Its horns glittered in a twist of silver and gold and two translucent red antennae were a minor note compared to the saber fangs and nearly ten feet of killing machine that tore into the Wolves with no apparent care for getting hit.

"Holy _shit_ ," Chance whispered, pressing back against the wall. In all his years, he'd never seen anything like this... the closest he'd ever come was a group of drugged out insurgents, but even they hadn't had the same sort of durability this... _thing_ had.

"Yeah, mom's great," Rico grinned over at him, enthralled to watch her tear the enemy apart.

"Messy too," Chance murmured. "How much is she thinking through this?" He asked, unable to really shake the question from his mind.

"* _Fully aware,_ *" Rico assured him. "* _The Lumari form is prone to berserker rage, but this isn't nearly enough to cause it._ *"

The last of the Wolves, one with a rocket launcher, was hurled towards them to splat against the wall behind them.

"Come. I'll stay with you," Xalda turned to look at them with crystal blue eyes. "You okay?"

"Yes, mom," Rico rolled his eyes as he stood. "We're all fine. Let's go," he motioned everyone to follow them.

Chance took a little longer as he watched in fascination as the monstrous form flowed smoothly into the lithe Mouse-woman with strands of soft grey on her black hair that had been with them when they first broke in.

He shook his head and went with them, following Rico's lock on Jake's mind. Now that he was paying attention, he picked up the addition of Xalda in the combat link he was on the edge of.

Moving through a few more doors without event, they reached the balcony, transparent shielding blocking it off from the lab where Jake was waiting.

"Somebody keep that door open," Chance warned them. "Knowing DK, he's probably got something that'll kill each and every one of us handy."

Tami nodded and saw to the door, keeping her body shifting in the sensor's path and blocking it with her body for a little more warning.

"Blast it, or do I just break it?" Xalda offered Chance the choice.

"See if you can crack it; if you can't, these should," he said, checking his clip. Three shots left, then he'd be on the blaster again. Better to use them here, if he had to. "My main concern is that he might have electrified the wall," he explained. "Don't know how familiar you guys are with Dark Kat, but basically take the most twisted, paranoid asshole you can think of, and then assume he's done whatever that guy wouldn't think of."

He wasn't entirely sure what part of his statement hit a nerve, but Xalda's blue eyes began to glow red as raw, intensely personal rage ripped through the very air around them with her transformation. He took a cue from her son and backed away from her, letting the infuriated monster have at the clear barrier.

"The sad part is, I really don't think I should take back the statement," Chance murmured as she tore into the barrier, the energy that should have electrocuted her swirled up around her and coalesced around her hands.

"Let's just hope Jake's as self-controlled as he thinks he is," Rico shivered. "He needs to freeze and stay that way until she calms down."

"Tell him, if you can. At least he knows she's on our side... if he doesn't stay still, is there any way to stop her?"

"He knows," Rico said as the thick barrier shattered under Xalda's furry.

"* _I can stop her, if I have to,_ *" Tami promised as they rushed to the edge while Xalda leapt twenty feet down to the floor of a huge computer control center.

Chance took less than a second to spot his partner, pressed up in the corner between the wall and a computer bank. To his eye, Jake wasn't faking the frozen terror one bit.

Chance spotted the door, and took aim. He fired off the last three shots, blowing the door to the room off its hinges, and giving Xalda access to the stunned Creeplings on the other side.

Given a target she did exactly what he'd hoped for and tore into them, clearing the room for him to jump down. He recognized the two Mice were standing guard for him to get his mate coherent enough to get out.

"Jake, c'mon, we've gotta get out of here," Chance said, squeezing his mate's shoulder. "Focus here."

"Wh-what the hell is that thing?" Jake stammered even as he fought to pull himself together as he got to his feet, still shaking badly.

"Loup Maru, and Rico's mother," Chance explained briefly. "You want to really scare yourself? Carbin's probably got her grandkids in her. Now, let's get out of here while she's busy with the Creeplings, maybe we'll get lucky and she spots Dark Kat while we're going."

"* _Mom's not usually this psychotic,_ *" Rico added sympathetically as they climbed a rope back up to the balcony. "* _She's a very nice person when she's not on the rampage._ *"

"I'm sure," Jake murmured as he got to his feet on the balcony. "Got a weapon for me?" he glanced at his partner hopefully as the tabby joined them.

"Not as much punch as what I knocked the door off with, but I'm out of shots for that too," Chance chuckled lowly, handing him a blaster pistol. "Just don't shoot anything with horns and a prehensile tail."

"Right," Jake nodded, taking the weapon and checking it on reflex. "Someone know the way out?"

"We do," Chance nodded. "Assuming Dark Kat hasn't got traps for people heading out. One of them shot at us even though we figured it out."

"If we get in real trouble, we can get out the way everybody else got in," Rico said as he headed the way they'd come. "It just involves getting one of the Lumari to warp us out."

"Let's avoid that, if we can," Jake shuddered even as he ran to keep up with them. "That...thing... is really the little black woman that was with us?"

"Yes," Rico said easily. "That's why I wanted the two of you to see them before we meet for the first time."

"It's _still_ going to be a stretch," Jake warned him.

"Join us for the party. You'll see them in a very different light," Rico offered as much as asked.

"They... party... like that?" Chance asked, distracted from the question as he tried to track the various viewpoints still in his head. "Down!" He shouted a warning, bringing his rifle around and firing a spray of shots over the descending heads of Rico and Tami, nailing one of the fleeing Wolves before the Mice launched into the rest of the unit with Jake and Chance providing covering fire for them.

"* _When we party with out own, yes,_ *" Rico commented back, his mind-voice calm and relaxed despite the combat.

"Yeah, you heard him in your head," Chance answered Jake's bewildered and slightly unsettled look.

"* _Sorry, but it's so much easier to mind-talk in a fight. If you want us to hear something, just bring it to the front of your mind, like when we first met,_ *" Rico said.

"* _Right,_ *" Jake replied silently.

"* _What the Hell was that?_ *" Chance asked as he heard a distant, and very large-sounding, howl.

"* _Not one of us,_ *" Rico let the Wolf he was fighting escape and turned his mind towards the sound. "* _Bio-experiment,_ *" he supplied quickly. "Run!" he added out loud and bolted towards the entrance even as he called for help from his kin.

Chance and Jake followed without question, Chance fiddling with the blast rifle's selector switch, then the barrel. The howling sound came closer as they neared the evac point, though he was sure there was a wall between them.

They got outside a few minutes later, and Chance was sure he'd never been so glad to see the open sky. Then the wall erupted, the creature bellowing a challenge. It had the horns of a longhorn steer, the claws of one of the Loup Maru on steroids, and a long, snaking tail studded with bony spines.

"Remember what I said about not shooting anything with horns and a long tail?" Chance asked, raising his blaster. "Forget it!"

"* _Close your eyes!_ *" He warned them all, before squeezing off a shot. The charge took a moment longer to build than normal before it erupted in a flash of light, the creature snarling as it was blinded.

"* _Psi-shielded!_ *" Tami snarled in frustration.

"* _Just stay alive. Help's coming!_ *" Rico ordered as they all opened fire on the beast, trying to keep it at bay. It snarled, howled and struggled forward towards them.

"What does it take to kill that thing?" Jake growled.

"* _Cease fire!_ *" Rico ordered. "* _That,_ *" he said as his mother's monstrous Lumari form tackled the beast, sending them both rolling down the mountain. "* _Let's get to the shuttle._ *" He ordered and made a strait line for where they'd secured it.

"How long do we wait before we go looking for her?" Chance asked once they'd reached the shuttle. "She might have a hard time getting back up."

He was sure it wouldn't be a hard time dealing with Dark Kat's monster. It just didn't seem right, after what he'd seen her take already.

"Our mission is to rescue Jake," Rico reminded him as they took their places in the shuttle. "The warriors have their own job. She'll have plenty of help if she needs it."

"I'm rescued and combat ready," Jake pointed out.

"Let each unit do their job," Rico said firmly. "Mom's fine."

"Understood," Chance nodded, climbing into the pilot's seat. "Anything else before we head home then?" He asked, taking off and moving a safer distance away.

"No," Rico shook his head. "Let's get out of the warzone."


	32. Meeting Kittens Grown

"That was something else," Chance groaned when they finally got home after what he guessed was the better part of two days of partying hard with the Mice and their shifter-kin in all three forms, he was grateful to be back in civilization.

"No kidding. Weird critters," Jake let out a sigh of a breath and headed for the shuttle. "I'm so ready to go home and just have Kats and Kantin around for a while."

"Oh no you don't," Chance chuckled, grabbing Jake's shoulder. "Tomorrow. Tonight, we get to have a private celebration of you getting home safely."

"Oh all right," Jake faked reluctance even as he leaned in against his mate. "I guess it can wait a few hours."

"Long enough," Chance smiled, kissing Jake's cheek. "I'm sorry," he murmured, turning him enough to kiss his lips.

"Sorry?" Jake was honestly bewildered even as he melted into the contact. "Why?"

"Mmm... if I hadn't lost track of you, that wouldn't've happened," Chance murmured, rubbing his chest. "It was fun, but not worth losing you for two days."

"You're not my nursemaid, buddy," Jake gave him a gentle smile and nuzzled his neck. "It's not your job to keep tabs on me. Besides, even if you'd known where I was going with that Wolf, it wouldn't have changed anything. You still wouldn't have thought it was odd until I was long gone."

"Mmm ... maybe not," Chance smirked, undoing Jake's pants. "But I would've watched," he winked.

Jake couldn't help but laugh as he let his mate undress him. "Maybe, but I think you had plenty of fun without me. You owe me some stories, you know."

"You sure you want to hear them?" Chance teased, reaching down to fondle Jake's sheath lightly. "Most of 'em involve girls, even in this era."

"Mmm, yes," he purred in pleasure and claimed a hot kiss. "I want to know what you would have done to me, if I'd gotten your attention."

"Oh, you had it," Chance grinned. "Erin just got more insistent," he purred, leading his half-naked partner to the bedroom. "Mmm... if you'd stuck around though, I'd have gotten to you pretty soon. Used your belt to tie your hands up, so you couldn't fight back while she sucked your cock and I fucked your ass for everybody to watch," he purred deeply at the excited shiver the idea drew from his partner.

"How'd you ever get Rico away from that Mouse-in-heat?" Jake asked with a heady rumbled before the breath was knocked out of him by landing hard on the bed.

"Told him you were gone, convinced the Tiger who'd been watching him to spend his time with her... damn, those two going at it was something else," Chance rumbled, climbing on top of Jake and mounting him, grinding against his ass. "Got the whole area fucking each other."

"Just be glad shekats don't project like that," Jake moaned and pressed up into the teasing contact. "Scent is enough trouble."

"Mmm... tell me about it," Chance grinned, pressing into Jake's ass with a groan. "Mmm... though at least that stops before a shekat's scent does," he rumbled, starting to thrust. "Bet you'd've liked to play with that Tiger too."

"The Wolf was pretty good, until he knock me out," Jake moaned at being filled with the sensation of both of them still being mostly dressed. "Must be incredible to be a 'path in heat, or taking one. Bet they could feel what the other did"

"Bet if you asked, Rico'd let you know," Chance purred hotly, rubbing against Jake's prostate, reaching around to stroke his cock as the lean tom moaned and trembled in need.

"Probably show us," he panted, nearly whimpering as Chance played with the rubbery nubs along his cock. When the big tabby grabbed his scruff in his jaws and began to hump him deep and hard, Jake lost it with a growling rowl as his seed spilled over Chance's hand, making his palm slick as it continued to stroke Jake's cock.

"That's what I meant," Chance grinned, nipping Jake's scruff, holding off as long as he could. He wanted to get Jake off twice, if he could manage it. "Get him between us," he purred, biting down on Jake's scruff possessively.

"Oh yeah," Jake moaned, surrendering his body completely to the will of his mate as he was humped with all the powerful tabby's lustful strength. "Trying to kill me," he gasped as his prostate was pummeled and his cock stroked by a hand slick in his own seed.

"And you love it," Chance growled around his scruff, squeezing tight around his cock, teasing his barbs. "The Wolf this good to ya?"

"No," Jake trembled, his balls tightening as his cock twitched. "Nobody is."

"Prove it," Chance ordered him, slamming in deep as he came with a roar.

It was more than enough to send Jake over the edge for a second time and he mewed, grunting as more of his seed slipped onto the bed while his ass was filled with the hot goo.

"Mmm... you get the wet spot, unless you want to clean it up," Chance purred, scritching Jake's back as he rolled to his side, pulling his mate down with him. "C'mon, let's snuggle for a bit."

"It'll be dry by the time we get out of the shower," Jake purred lazily, more than willing to laze there as long as Chance was holding him, and inside time. "So the Mice ... where did that rank up there with intense?"

"Mmm ... about third on the list, behind that girl in Traveris and the fox-mix on the Lothosian border," Chance purred, stroking Jake's side affectionately.

"Pretty damn impressive, considering those two were in heat," Jake mused on it. "Maybe he'll join us for some fun before we leave. It'd be interesting at least. I bet she'd be even more intense than he'd be."

"Mmm... I want _you_ to approach him about it," Chance purred, kissing his neck. "Be good to get you some practice," he winked. "Oh, and suggest a four-way, if she's interested."

"I don't need any practice," Jake huffed playfully. "You're more than enough for me."

"I know," Chance chuckled, nibbling his neck. "Mmm... but I like surprises too."

"Well, maybe," Jake looked back at him with a bit of a wicked grin. "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out."

"Yep," Chance grinned back, licking his lips. "Mmm ... so, what do you think of the future?"

"It turned out a lot better than I expected, and a lot more different," he admitted. "I mean, last time we jumped forward, we'd died in the line of duty, the city had effectively fallen and the world probably wasn't much better off. This one ... may not be a utopia, but it's a damn sight better than our present. I wouldn't mind staying if I didn't know we have to go back."

"Unfortunately, we do," Chance sighed. "What do you think the odds are it'll work out this way? The last one, we hadn't run into these 'humans' either."

"Well, for at least one version of 'us' it'll work out this way, just like one version ended splattered on a skyscraper and another are evil fuckers working for Dark Kat, and another good guys forced to go vigilante. Temporal-dimensional theory as it stands says they'll all happen, and thousands of others.

"I thought nobody agreed on it yet?" Chance said with a nuzzle.

"The lab scientists don't," he admitted. "The few of us who have done these hops and come back, built or worked on equipment that did it, we're in something of agreement. Sort of. It's the one I subscribe too at least. So some of the future 'us' that are talking now will see this future happen. Odds are some will die in the war with the humans but leave a free world, and some will die without stopping the humans. Every possible event creates two universes; one where it happened, and one where it didn't."

"Okay, so everything that's possible already happened, and in one of these timelines I'm Dark Kat. So, what do you think the odds are that _our_ future will end up here?" He asked, kissing Jake's neck and trying to bring things back into terms he could handle.

"If we don't die, and the Mice are on our Aristal, pretty good, really," he decided. "Everything seems plausible enough, even if I haven't been allowed to read much history."

"Worried you'll collapse their future around them," Chance murmured. "On the other hand... at least it'll mean we don't have to _make_ history happen, good or bad," he offered, running his hand down Jake's side until his partner began to purr softly.

"Something like that," he smiled. "Though I'm partial to striving to make this happen. They may be keeping me out of the history books and sites, and the news, but I've picked up a lot, and Rico isn't nearly as shy about talking as Kathie is about records."

"Heh - any idea where they've been hiding?" Chance chuckled. "We might need their help soon, from the sound of things."

"That he's very careful not to tell me, but I know a few things about it," Jake smiled slightly. "Just not enough to actually find them. The first settlement was in badlands, but I seriously doubt the ones next to us. Another's in rainforest, and a third is somewhere there's permanent snow. They're all isolated as hell."

"Can you blame them?" Chance asked. "How long ago was it we let our _own_ native species start serving together without trouble? Wonder if he's already following us, and we just don't know it?"

"I wouldn't say we've managed it yet," Jake snorted. "He said he started following us after the humans were destroyed," he said thoughtfully. "I don't think he was lying."

"Hey, Kip wasn't beat up for being a hybrid, he was beat up for being bi," Chance pointed out with a sigh. "That's progress of a sort, anyways. And you're probably right. Seems a little weird that they'd involve themselves in the fight before we knew about them... you think the humans fucked up their planet?"

"Maybe," Jake thought over the visceral nature of Rico reaction. "They may have just reacted to a threat to their new home. I imagine after losing one homeworld, you could get a little psycho about defending a new one."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Chance nodded. "Too bad Dark Kat wasn't there to enjoy the reaction," he muttered. "Him, I wouldn't have minded seeing ripped apart, whoever's under that costume... you get a look at him?"

"Plenty, and a name that wasn't Dark Kat. How useful it'll be, I have doubts. Dhiren Khan is what he's going by, and apparently our Dark Kat is a distraction he used. He's a black tiger with silvery stripes. How much of any of that is true ... probably none of it."

"Well, they've got it to work with... some of it _might_ be true," Chance admitted. "Though that last name... no _way_. Wouldn't that make him related to Sheir Khan?"

"No," he shook his head. "Khan is a title, like king or lord. That area only started having last names when they had to use them to work with us. So you took your title, or your home village or something. Kinda how our surnames happened, but a hell of a lot faster."

"Oh... still, sounds like he's claiming to be the king out there, and I can't believe that. You think we might be able to track him in our time?"

"I can try at least," Jake thought it over. "He's distinctive enough it might narrow things down some. Just don't get your hopes up. This one isn't as stupid as the first one."

"I'm hoping he doesn't know we're looking for him... and that he can lead us to ours," Chance said softly. "If anybody deserves to die, it's him."

"You won't get any arguments from me," Jake reached back to squeeze the tabby's hip. "I'll do what I can. It's just not a lot to go on, even for me. Clearly in the history that made this world, I didn't find him."

"I'm not so enamored of the idea that things are fixed," Chance admitted. "That we don't know what changes will do, yes, but not that it's fixed. It's not possible that we razed Lothos the first time, after all. At least I keep trying to tell myself that."

"Nothing is fixed," Jake agreed. "I'm saying to make _this_ future, he wasn't found. If he's found early, it'll change what happens for the future we have. Good, bad or indifferent, small changes or incomprehensible ones, it'll be different," he shrugged. "As for Lothos, some of the time, that didn't happen. It just did in the history we grew up with."

"I guess. When we get back... what do you think you're going to do?"

"After the war's over?" Jake glanced up and over his shoulder. "Put in a _lot_ of hours on the TurboKat, if I get any of her back. I'm sure they dismantled her to see what they were up against. Probably put in even more on that shuttle if they let me. Probably do some looking around, see if I can narrow down where the Mice are living. Rico's not saying, but I'm pretty sure the reason we were targeted to be approached was because we got close enough that they could pick up that we knew about them in this time."

"Makes sense," Chance nodded. "And yeah, after the war. So, you've got a few years lined up," he chuckled lowly, nuzzling Jake's neck. I imagine they'd let us, from what we've heard. Have you thought about your mother's likely request yet?"

"I told her she could ask," he answered. "Have you?"

"Yeah," Chance nodded. "Obviously, wouldn't want to do anything until the war was over, but I think I'll take her up on it. It'd be a better life for a kit than anything I could offer in the foreseeable future."

"Grandma raises good kits," Jake smiled at him and stretched up to kiss him gently. "Just look at the three of us. Just don't be surprised if mom pushes _hard_ for her next heat, especially if it's before the war ends," he said seriously. "We know it'll probably only be three months long, but she doesn't, and I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to tell her."

"I know," Chance smiled, returning the kiss. "Jake... mind if I ask something that might be a sore issue?"

"Go ahead," he nodded.

"Why doesn't anyone talk about your uncle James? Your mother's brother," Chance asked, paying more attention to his partner's body language than usual. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but resigned relief wasn't it.

"You know how every family has a black sheep, somebody no one likes to talk about?" Jake said quietly, knowing full well his partner was the Furlong one. "James is the Clawson everyone wishes would disappear and won't. Born in our generation, he might well have been an Omega. Instead he's in prison for life for treason and industrial espionage ... and a dozen or more escapes. He just can't keep his head down enough to stay free."

"Geeze," Chance sighed. "Your family doesn't do anything small, does it?"

"We can't afford to," he chuckled a bit. "There's only a handful of us each generation to do anything."

"I guess you're right," Chance chuckled, scratching his mate's chest lightly. "Want to get that shower now?"

"Sure," Jake purred, moaning as Chance finally pulled out of him. "When have I ever refused water?"

"C'mon, katfish," Chance chuckled, patting Jake's ass. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

* * *

Chance tried not to fidget next to Rico as the hostess walked them to the private tables in the most high-scale restaurant he could think of. Being in full dress uniform with another ranking officer helped a little, but it wasn't a huge comfort. He was out of his element and everyone knew it.

He half-wondered if this might not be intentional, something to throw him off. If it was, he had to wonder just what had happened between them.

"Can you tell me anything about her?" He asked Rico quietly.

"She's the city's rep in the world senate, one of the more powerful positions available these days," he said as they were seated. "Tezla Clawson's daughter."

"Would you like something to drink?" the hostess asked politely.

"Yes please," Chance nodded, glancing at Rico to see if he could figure out what would be suitable. Hopefully something strong. He was sure he could use it, after that news! He knew the Clawsons were prone to doing well, but that was something else. This was _his_ kid, and Furlongs didn't have such lofty goals.

"A glass of Atelon red 2051 and A Surivon Brandy, 1820's for him," Rico selected without looking at the menu.

"Yes, sir," the hostess smiled and walked away.

"She also hasn't been on speaking terms with her father for the better part of three decades," Rico added quietly, his eye and mind open to pick up her approach.

"Wonderful," Chance murmured. "Any idea what it was? And how she feels about meetin' me?"

"Given her very outspoken and negative views on the Enforcers, I'd guess it has something to do with that," Rico answered. "Rumor has it she has her eye on the World Governorship in the next few elections. She can't win that without the full support of her family, especially given your importance and rank. She's probably trying to make nice now so it's easier when she does it with her actual father."

"I'm officially hoping you're wrong," Chance sighed. "How is she with the rest of the Furlongs? She acknowledge the family at all?"

"Pretty well, really. Especially once she stopped talking to her father regularly," Rico rolled his eyes. "They've made progress, but they're still a half-century behind the times."

"Wouldn't that be more reason for her to _not_ deal with them?" Chance grumbled. "Please don't tell me I'm further behind than that."

"I'm a 'path and I don't get your politics," Rico chuckled a bit. "Here she comes. Don't worry about the guard. It's just their job to follow her everywhere."

"Right," Chance sighed and looked up to assess the chocolate on dark caramel thick-striped tabby shekat in a conservative dark blue dress suit that wouldn't have been out of place in his time. He could easily see her heritage on both sides. She was lean for a Furlong, but a very big-boned Clawson, and definitely had her mother's fur and sharp mind. The Clawson drive to excel hadn't been tempered in the least by his blood either from her manner.

"Welcome to 2073, Chance," she extended her hand politely. "I was surprised to hear you had called."

"Well, I had some time before I had to head back... I thought I should look up the only daughter I knew about," he smiled, standing to shake her hand, trying to keep this polite as much as he could. _She_ was being polite after all, he could return the favor. "It looks like you grew up well."

"Thank you," she smiled and sat down across from them.

It was only then that Chance picked up on the fact that they were at an actual table with chairs, and not a booth.

"How much has Major Rico filled you in about me?" Elayna Clawson asked.

"Not much," he smiled, taking his seat again. "He told me you're MKC's rep with the World Government, and that you've done very well for yourself. He... _did_ tell me there's going to be some difficulties," he admitted. "Though he didn't have any details."

"Between you and your father," Rico said when she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ah, yes," Elayna nodded. "We have not had the best of relationships since my early teens. It also hasn't happened yet, for you."

"No, but you haven't been born yet, for me, either," he pointed out. "Technically, I've met your mother all of once so far... well, twice, if you count an afternoon when she was a kit," he chuckled. "Assuming the timeline all works out like Jake thinks it will, I'm going to be your father, eventually. But for now, I'm glad to try not thinking about it that way," he smiled. "A little awkward, having a daughter a decade older than I am."

"About as strange as a grandmother that's younger than you are," she smiled a little knowingly. "Perhaps you will come away with something that keeps the strain from happening, or I will to fix it," she leaned back and held silent as a waiter came in with their drinks; two glasses of dark wine and a brandy snifter for Chance.

"Thank you," Chance nodded, taking the large, bowl-shaped glass and waiting until the waiter was gone. "Was it politics, or something else?" He asked her gently.

"It ended in politics, at least for me," she said simply after a sip of her drink. "It began with what Grandma described as adolescent rage over an absentee father, worked it way into boyfriends, careers and is currently sitting at forty-five years of not being all that civil to each other. I inherited your bulldog stubbornness along with your stripes."

"That early?" Rico looked honestly surprised.

"My twelfth birthday was something of a last straw for my temperament on the subject," she admitted with more frank honesty than Chance could believe coming from a politician. Enough honesty that he winced, already pretty sure he knew what had happened.

"I'm sorry, though you've probably already heard it before. The biggest reason I've waited this long to have kits was because I was afraid something like that would happen, or that I'd die before I had the chance to raise them."

"Why did you, while you were still with the Knights?" she looked at him. He could see the anger and hurt in her hazel eyes, but he also saw a desire to understand why she happened when he had such clear intentions not to have kits yet.

"It ... seemed like the opportunity that would have the least chance of screwing up," he admitted. "I knew that if I died, I wouldn't be leaving behind a family that would be put out on the streets, or have to find a way to get back in my family's good graces. I've been thinking that there would be a difference, between being a sire and a father," he tried to explain, looking for a way to put what he'd been arguing with himself for weeks into words. "In part... I trust your mother to know how to raise kits without a father around, after doing it with two kits already. Not that I don't think she did a good job bringing you up," he added.

"They raised me well," Elayna agreed firmly. "I wouldn't have made it this far if they hadn't. Maybe if you'd never been around, like the other two, it would have been different. You made _some_ birthdays, _some_ holidays ... and a lot of stress every time something bad went down, cause Jake was in the middle of it instead of safe somewhere designing weapons. Not that they _said_ anything, but it was hard to miss."

"Jake had been trying to get into the middle of it since before the Omegas were around," Chance pointed out, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, this isn't the time to go into all of this. Not sure what is, but it'll probably come up one way or the other eventually, I'm sure... though I should talk to Tezla about the issues with Jake, _he'd_ pick up on that eventually if nothing else."

"I know," she nodded. "I don't know everything involved in it, or how bad it really was, just that it was noticeable from where I was. Nearly seventy years, several wars, the formation of the world government and retirement and you're still together. It's not something many military couples can say," she told him with an open respect he hadn't expected. "But to the meat of why I wanted to meet you. What _is_ the best way to fix what's between my father and I?" she asked softly, her voice almost muted by her glass and the difficulty of saying it. "I don't want to be angry anymore."

"Well, without knowing his side of things, I can't say what'll help him," he explained. "But if you can try to come to terms with his side of things, it might help. I'm sure he _does_ regret missing everything that he did. I can't imagine consciously making the decision and _not_ regretting it. But when you have to weigh family obligations against possibly finding out that good people died because you weren't there to help them... it takes one Hell of a family obligation to overpower that," he admitted. "Again, I'm sure you've heard it before. The general dislike of the Enforcers I heard about probably isn't helping things either... you know that I... we both served in Lothos, before the human invasion, right?"

"Yes, and MegaWar Two, among others," she nodded. "Enforcer is all you've ever been."

"Yes," he nodded, leaving the possible slight aside. He knew she didn't mean it as an insult to his ambition... not entirely, anyways... but more viewing it as the thing that had kept her father away from her for so long. "But Lothos is the one that counts here. The big war before that, everybody came home as heroes, the guys who'd saved the world from tyranny. Lothos, we came home and were accused of being genocidal psychopaths. I've spent decades defending the Enforcers and what they've done, when it was the right thing to do. I don't know just how down on the Enforcers you've been, and I can at least try to understand why, but from his point of view... his daughter's going the same way the former hippies in the Furlongs went. That probably put a sour taste in his mouth, if it went that way in his head."

Elayna nodded, slowly digesting that in her mind. She looked up and motioned the waiters hovering near the door to their private room in.

Somewhat to Chance's surprise, it wasn't with menus, but with their food.

"I took a chance that you would enjoy sushi and tapas as a family style meal," she told him as a wide variety of food, from cold to still sizzling, was placed on the table on several trays, and plates were put before each of them. "It was a favorite of my father years ago."

"Thank you," Chance nodded, recognizing the attempt to make nice and tried to take it as such, and not as a political move. "For me, not that long ago," he smiled, trying some of the sizzling meat as the waiters left again, taking another sip of his brandy. "Has this helped any?"

"I believe so, Chance," she smiled at him before dipping an elegant piece of sushi into the dark sauce and eating it in a single bite. "I realize you have not been together long, but I am curious about the bond between you and Jake. It is far stronger than most people have, soldiers or not."

"Compared to most mates though?" Chance chuckled. "It's a matter of how things have gone... a good part of it is from Jake's end too, honestly. I love him, but I don't think he'd love anybody else."

"Mom said that too, that it ran in the family," Elayna nodded slightly before using a small fork to pull a butter-cooked snail from its shell. "We have one mate, or we never bother with it. Grandma was unusual in trying twice, even that young. For a long time, Mom thought Jake would be like her, single for life and content with it."

"If I wasn't slightly oversexed, she probably would've been right," Chance smiled, peeling a mussel out with what he _hoped_ was the right utensil for it... it worked, at any rate. "How about you? Anybody in your life?"

"A husband and five kits from three litters," Elayna nodded. "I think Mom nearly passed out when I told her about the third pregnancy," she couldn't help but chuckle. "Apparently I've doubled the expected number of kits in the generation."

"Considering you were number three, spread out over forty years and then some, I wouldn't doubt it," Chance chuckled. "And that's without either of your half-sibs having kits, at that. Busy tonight?" He asked her.

"A combination of security and that I didn't want the kits here if this went badly," she shook her head before picking up a crispy pig's ear to chew on. "They're all used to me having meetings they can't go to and I can't talk about. It comes with my position in the World Senate."

"Kind of like mine in the Enforcers," he nodded, knowing he might be going back into bad territory, but hopeful that it might help give her a different perspective.

"I'm just unlikely to be shot at," she pointed out. "But yes, I get called away on no notice. My position is a very real part of why I'm starting to understand. I hate being called away, but I go because it is my duty."

"I know," he nodded. "Just thought I'd mention it. If you bring up that you're starting to understand, it'll probably help break the ice," he offered. "You like your work?"

"I do, as frustrating and stagnant as it can be at times," Elayna nodded after a sip of wine. "We are still in an exciting time in governmental development. So many cultures and systems are still being blended into the democratic base." She suddenly perked up. "You haven't seen that either, have you? The technology is finally in place to make a democracy functional on the large scale. There are still strong republic and socialist elements, and probably always will, but the laws are all done by a flat popular vote."

"How do you keep MKC from overrunning all of Tusandrin?" Chance asked, cocking his head. "Or Sayden Bay from just breeding everybody else out of a say in things?" He chuckled lowly.

"The same way Kantin still have a voice in politics in your MKC," she pointed out. "That and a planetary constitution that leaves most laws in the hands of the locals. The laws that go for world voting are those that affect the entire world. Mostly taxes, megaprojects, a few criminal codes. Everything is still written by elected officials, then put to a popular vote. It's not perfect, but it's working pretty well for the scope of it. It helps that we have a few residents that know how it has been done elsewhere," she nodded to Rico. "Not everything applies, but we aren't going completely blind."

"Understood," he nodded. "How'd you figure out how to keep from calling people in to the polls all the time?" He asked her. "Or do you not put out as much paperwork as we used to?"

"A lot of it is electronic, with a paper printout as proof of their vote in case it's contested," she said. "Particularly remote areas have mail-in options. Everyone can log in and see what all their voting has been, and includes a way to challenge the records if they disagree with the paper record."

"How widely have you managed to spread net access?" Chance asked her, taking some of the still-hot meats.

"With the exception of a few spots that can't get a satellite signal and don't have a phone or TV line, it's everywhere," she said easily. "It's all free access too. One of the things taxes pay for. It's too important to education, voting and general communication to have it be restricted."

"Different channels for official traffic?" He guessed. "Just how _do_ you handle law enforcement and the military these days? A world government would probably complicate the Hell out of it."

"It's really simplified things," she chuckled. "All we need the military for now is Omegas and alien invasions. There are no wars to fight, because there are no more boarders. Law enforcement is much more local, in general, but it is still funded and overseen by the world government. We mostly look at training and run internal affairs."

"So it's more like precincts through the entire world?" Chance asked, trying to imagine just how the politics of _that_ would work out. It was ugly enough with just the ones in Megakat City! "Upgraded to Enforcer standard equipment, generally?"

"The military did, though at this point it's turned over a couple times from when it was Enforcer equipment," she chuckled. "And yes, something like precincts. It began with just adding a couple layers of command over the existing ones, but it's integrated a lot as we get closer to the point where no one in command was more than a beat cop when the system was changed."

"Probably helped," he nodded. "Politics not that much worse than between different offices back in my time? Inter-office politics," he added with a chuckle. "The sort of thing that let some of the guys play one station against another."

"I'm sure it happens, but IA comes down pretty hard on that kind of behavior," Elayna said. "Politics like that hamper efficiency and hurts morale. It's something we try to discourage strongly."

"Hope you've got better luck with it than we did," Chance chuckled. "How's your job work out then?"

"Fairly well," she smiled over a piece of shrimp sushi. "I'm the chair the education committee. It's a huge job, but it's rewarding. There has been a steady increase in the literacy rate, test scores and graduation rates since I took over."

"How high is that position rated, these days?" He asked her. "Education usually got short shrift, sixty years ago."

"For prestige and power, it's fourth; behind the chairs of finance and defense and the Senate Head. It was sixth when I got the position," she said with no small amount of pride. "Certain people in power are making a point of keeping me out of both of the other chairs, but I know why."

"So you're going to try leapfrogging over them all?" He asked. "Rico mentioned the rumors you were looking at the Gubernatorial seat," he explained.

"It's a possibility," she shied around the subject a bit. "I haven't decided when I'll run. There are a lot of factors, and not all of them are favorable right now."

"Fair enough," he nodded. "Is the Briggs family still in politics?"

"Oh yes," she chuckled. "My husband is one of them, though it's more of a hobby to him. The Ferals are still a military and law enforcement family too. Some things never change."

"And a Clawson ended up teaching people, indirectly," Chance chuckled. "Seems it holds there too. Would you like to meet Jake, when he was younger, before we leave?"

"If you can drag him away from whatever he's working on," Elayna laughed lightly. "I don't expect it's any easier than it is now."

"Harder," Chance chuckled. "He's half-convinced we've got a deadline before we have to be back, I think."

"And he wants to learn every bit he can about the next sixty years in technology," she smiled knowingly as they shifted to more superficial chatter over the meal.

* * *

"Was this a mistake?" Rico asked quietly after the doors to his SUV closed.

"Not sure," Chance admitted as they buckled up. "Was she serious, about wanting to make things better, and trying to understand? I'm still trying to work out how much was a dry run for sucking up, and how much was honestly hoping for some insight that'll help for personal reasons."

"Separating her from politics, at least without a far more invasive scan that I'm allowed to socially, is rather like separating you from the Enforcers, but what I did get was mostly honest. What was plotting ... I couldn't look deep enough to know if that was just the part of her that always is, or if it was really part of a longer-term plan. I'd say she's as honest as a career politician is capable of being."

"Which can go either way," Chance mused. "Honestly, I'm kind of nervous about it. If I ever found out that she was just trying to make nice so she could tick off one of those conditions that 'wasn't favorable' for a run at the Governor's office, I'd be royally pissed. But if not... I think she deserves the chance to try and start fixing things. That make sense?"

"It makes sense," Rico assured him and turned the SUV on. "She has a lifetime of resentment built up, but her father is also old enough that he might not be around in a few years. He _is_ a hundred and twenty, maybe older, and he's had a pretty hard life by her standards. You're not the kind to die peacefully from old age, and she knows it."

"No, I'm not," Chance nodded. "Of course, I lived through my childhood, and then Lothos - that right there puts me on the 'survivor' end of things. But I can certainly understand her wanting to improve things... wish I knew more about how the rest of her family thinks about him, if they do. It could make it a lot easier, or a lot worse. Grandkits can be a major motivator."

"On both sides," Rico agreed. "I can't say I know for sure, but I do know that both Clawsons and Briggs have strong family ties. There's probably a lot of pressure coming from her mother and her mate, and quite possibly her brother, to make amends. For the sake of the kits if nothing else."

"Times like this, I _really_ wish I could talk to myself," Chance sighed, shaking his head. "Be easier to know what was up if I had both sides of the story, instead of just hers. But I can't think of anything that's happened so far being a complete deal breaker, that I've heard of."

"How much do you think Jake would know?" Rico asked.

"Depends on whether or not he'd have pushed... probably the whole thing, if he did," Chance admitted. "Your Jake, of course."

"Yes," Rico nodded and pulled into traffic to take Chance home. "I'll see what he can tell me. Just because you can't talk to them, doesn't mean I can't."

"I'd appreciate it," Chance nodded. "In the meantime... I've gotta talk a few things over with Jake," he admitted, shaking his head and leaning back in the seat. "Never felt this tired after a night out before," he chuckled ruefully. "Or this old."

"Not nearly as old as if you _did_ get to see yourself in this time, or Jake," he chuckled softly. "Or if you and your kits started breeding as young as your family usually does. You'd be upwards of a great-great-great-great-grandfather now."

"Don't remind me," the tabby grumbled. "I could have had grandkits by my age already, not considering having my first kit."

"True," Rico nodded. "You would have had a much different life if you'd gone the way of most of your family."

"In _so_ many ways," Chance chuckled grimly. "Most of them not the best. But, things have worked out... can I ask you one question? How long did my Dad last?"

"I don't know, but I can find out," Rico said. "No dates, but a general idea in months or years."

"It'd be appreciated," Chance nodded. "Need some idea how long I've got; he's pretty sick, back in my time."

"I'll tell you what I can," Rico promised. "Kathie's a little ... touchy ... about what information goes back. And no, I don't know what, other that she got hurt badly by future information at some point. Her life has been nearly as eventful as yours."

"Could be hurt by past information too," Chance pointed out. "She'll end up in Megawar II with us at some point. Some days, I can't help but be glad I _don't_ get all this stuff."

"Possibly," Rico agreed. "I try not to dig in people's head's without permission unless it's part of my job, like on the freighter."

"Best policy," Chance chuckled. "You wouldn't want to see what I'd throw up if I caught you," he winked.

"You're right, I don't," Rico chuckled and pulled into the parking garage of the hotel. "Even if it's nothing compared to what I've already experienced from the hand downs from the Plutarkican war. We have our own equivalent of Lost Day, it's just all in the head."

"Plutarkian?" Chance asked, glancing over at him.

"The race that destroyed my homeworld," he explained simply. "They haven't gotten here yet."

"Any idea if they ever will?" Chance asked, already thinking ahead to the next invasion.

"Only two ways that could go down," Rico said grimly as he parked. "They'll show up eventually, or they crossed paths with the humans we beat back in your time and don't exist anymore. From what we know of humans, I'd bet on the second."

"Somehow, that doesn't reassure me," Chance shuddered as he unbuckled. "Thanks for the lift, and for setting this up."

"You're welcome. Try to get some sleep, with Jake," Rico advised.

"I'll try," Chance chuckled before walking to the elevator to see his mate. During the trip up, he stripped off the top of his uniform, glad to be able to relax a bit again. When it opened, he tossed them over the back of one of the plush chairs, heading to grand main room where the shuttle lived to find Jake.

It was no surprise that the only part of his mate visible were his feet and a bit of tail, or that a female voice was droning on about ... after a moment of trying to sort it out, he gave up ... was coming from inside the vehicle's guts with him.

"If that voice isn't attached to a cute intern, get out here," Chance teased.

"And if it is?" Jake asked, sounding almost ... plaintive?

"Then introduce her to the buff, shirtless tabby already," Chance smirked. "Or at least decide if you want to talk about something more interesting or not."

There was no way that Jake had an actual girl in there; he was just playing along, Chance was sure.

"All right, all right," Jake groused playfully and shimmied backwards to get free. "Have fun with your daughter-to-be?"

"Ugh, if that's the word for it," Chance chuckled lowly. "Seems that the problem is the usual Enforcer family conflicts." All thought of his daughter and grandkits fled briefly to see a shapely burgundy on black tabby shekat with long, dark red hair shimmy out of the panel Jake had come out of.

"Hi Chance," she giggled, her black tail swishing behind her.

Chance blinked, looking at her, his brain completely locked up for a moment.

"Uhm... hi," he said after a moment to try and recover, something that the barely control laughter Jake was fighting down wasn't helping one bit. "Afraid you've got me at a disadvantage...?" He glanced at Jake, trying to see what he was thinking, not at all surprised to see barely control laughter.

"Sara," she smiled, her bright green eyes glittering in amusement.

"Jake? Is this a coincidence, or do you have something to tell me?" He asked, immediately placing the name with the AI he'd already met.

"Holographic technology is fun," he grinned, no longer controlling his amusement at his partner's reaction. "Yes, this is the same Sara."

"Glad to meet you in the flesh then," Chance chuckled, looking back at her. "Who came up with the markings?" He asked, trying to figure out if she was just there in appearance, or actually physical. Holograms these days, who could be sure.

"You will, though it wasn't intentional," she winked at him. "My markings have changed over the years, but my face hasn't."

"Something about a conversation about my perfect woman," Jake chuckled deeply and motioned to Sara. "The original programming _was_ for my perfect woman."

"So she can do this back in our time?" Chance asked, raising an eyebrow and cracking a bit of a grin at Jake. "No wonder you spend so much time at the hangar," he teased.

"This upgrade won't happen for some time," Sara told him. "All I can do in your time is talk."

Jake leaned back against the shuttle and chuckled. "Remember what I'm like when you aren't pushing my sex drive. Someone to talk to is all I'm looking for."

"I'll leave you two alone," Sara smiled. "Let me know when you're working again."

"I will," Jake promised with a nod before she disappeared in a slight shimmer. "Okay, back to your evening."

"Long and confusing," Chance admitted. "Found out I managed to pull off the usual Enforcer father routine - not around for what I was supposed to be, that sort of thing... why don't we head up to the regular rooms?"

"Odd, it never bothered Sam or me that our sire wasn't around," Jake cocked his head. "It's not how any of us were raised."

"Which she's very much aware of," Chance nodded. "But apparently, the fact that I tried to be part of her life occasionally didn't help," Chance sighed. "Tried doing my best, ended up making for a daughter who could barely talk to me for forty to fifty years."

"Somehow I doubt it's that simple," Jake told him as walked upstairs. "I'm not saying she's lying, just that that it's probably not that simple."

"I'm sure it isn't, but from her end that's what got things started," Chance explained. "Apparently her twelfth birthday was particularly rough."

"Gods only know why," Jake sighed with a shake of his head. "Anything else of interest come up?"

"Well, she's one of the top politicians on the planet, and planning on running for the Governor's seat eventually... which is the problem," Chance admitted. "Don't know how much is real, and how much is manipulation."

"Did you ask Rico?" Jake opened the door to the bedroom, sure that's what Chance was looking for after talking.

"He's as confident as he can be that she's sincere," Chance said, sitting down on the bed and pulling Jake into his lap. "By the way, seems the Furlong genes will be overriding Clawson ones, at least for fertility," he chuckled.

"So how many kits does she have?" he grinned up and relaxed into the embrace.

"Five, if I remember right," Chance chuckled, lying back on the bed and hugging Jake against him. "Her husband's one of the Briggs family, too."

"Oh man, politics marrying politics," he groaned in good humor. "If she inherited anything from the Clawson side, she'll make Governor too, and do it young."

"That's what it sounds like... she's a pretty decent person though, from what I could pick up," Chance chuckled. "Despite decades of not getting along with me as her father, she managed to set the rest of it aside. Explained a bunch of how things work now... not sure how I feel about all of it, but good info all the same."

"Probably the same info I've been getting from Sara, at least in general," Jake relaxed on his mate's broad chest. "Any change in plans, knowing a possible outcome?"

"That's the question," Chance sighed. "Am I being selfish, wanting to be a part of my kits' lives, with my career?"

"No, you aren't," Jake shifted to kiss him gently. "She could have had just as much trouble if you weren't, resenting that you never tried when you were around. I think we all went through it. Either a parent that wasn't around enough, or one who was around too much. At least she decided not to stay angry until it was too late."

"Did you ever mind it, really?" Chance asked him seriously, returning the kiss.

"For a few years," he admitted. "Still bothers me sometimes, but not much. Especially when I was a kit, the single-parent idea wasn't nearly as well accepted as it is in our time. I mean, if they died in the war, or were off in it, that was fine. But to have one with a job the same place your mom worked but wasn't with her...." he shook his head. "I got a lot of grief from my peers and their folks. It was definitely a reason I'm as socially awkward as I am."

"It was pretty normal where I grew up," Chance admitted. "Even if your Mom was married, you weren't necessarily sure who your sire was - a lot of my cousins don't really look that much like their fathers."

"I heard about that, that it was common in poorer areas," he murmured. "Do you?"

"Yeah," Chance nodded. "We generally figure that's the best indicator we've got, short of tests that are too expensive to want to run."

"They haven't been expensive for a long time," Jake murmured. "I guess it mattered more to me. I don't know why, but I had to know if I'd been told the truth."

"You ever have a reason to doubt it?" Chance asked him, laying on the bed and enjoying the warm weight of his mate, his partner, on top of him.

"I never thought I looked much like either of them," he half shrugged. "Maybe I just wanted a reason that I was so different. I'm not really sure anymore, honestly. It was a lot more important in my teens and early twenties ... these days ... it's not like I'll have kits to tell anything to."

"Now just how do you know that?" Chance chuckled, nuzzling his neck. "For all we know, you've already got them. We've just never asked about it."

"I'm sterile, remember?" he pointed out.

"Yeah, but consider what they've already figured out for AI," Chance pointed out. "Uhm... the biological type, that is. It's been sixty years, for all we know we've got grandkits."

"If _we_ had kits, you would have been told when you asked about yours," Jake said with a small smile. "But you're right. It is possible in time."

"Well hey - why should I be the only one with family troubles?" Chance smirked, kissing his cheek. "So, you think I'm still doing the right thing, trying to be part of her life?"

"Yes," he nodded. "It's right for you. That's the only thing you can count on."

"Point," Chance nodded. "Just remind me, once in a while, that your half-sister comes first, 'kay?" He asked with a smile. "Not in an emergency, obviously, but you know how we _both_ can get when optional things come up."

"I will," he smiled, nuzzling Chance's neck. "And it'll be the younger of my sisters."

Of course," Chance chuckled. "I don't think the older one is really gonna be that grumpy about it," he smirked, scratching Jake's sides. "So... does Sara _have_ a body these days, or is that just an image?"

"It's a solid hologram, for lack of a better description," Jake struggled to explain an idea he barely grasped in terms his partner could understand. "It can be solid, or just an image, but it only appears when she wants to."

"So, has your ideal woman been keeping you company while I was out?" The tabby teased, nipping Jake's neck lightly.

"Frequently," he murmured, his eyes closing briefly in pleasure. "She's easy to talk with."

"Anything else?" Chance smirked, reaching around to rub Jake's sheath.

"You have _such_ a one-track mind," Jake couldn't help but chuckle along with his purr. "No, I prefer non-sexual relationships."

"Not that you'd know it to look at us," Chance teased, fondling his mate's crotch. "Love you," he murmured, undoing Jake's pants and starting to undress him.

"Love you," Jake moaned, knowing what was coming next as he relaxed into the kiss and contact that was coming. "It's all your fault and you know it," he teased.

"You're not complaining," Chance snickered, rolling Jake over to face him, kissing him more deeply as he got his own pants off. "What do you think it'll be like, being able to be public?"

"I don't know," Jake reached down to stroke the tabby's swelling sheath while the last of their clothing was shed. "Never really thought about it. I never really hid that I liked guys."

"I guess not," Chance admitted, nuzzling Jake's neck. "I like the idea, myself... not having to worry about what it'll do to our jobs, not having to hide all the time. And it sounds like this time didn't take a riot to get it."

"We can hope," he agreed and relaxed, willingly offering his body to his mate.

"You wanna try topping this time?" Chance asked him, reaching down to stroke his cock. "Been a while."

"If you want me to," Jake said without any conviction.

"Sure," Chance purred, kissing him again and rolling to his back, reaching to pull the largely unused lube out of the nightstand and handed it to his mate. He relaxed back, closing his eyes as Jake pressed a slick finger into his ass to begin working him open.

He groaned lowly, squeezing down a bit around Jake's fingers, encouraging him to work in deeper. It had been a long time since he'd bottomed, but it felt good to try it again. Definitely needed to do it more often, just to keep ready for it. Traveris had left him sore for days.

This was so different from those times. They were alone, this wasn't for any reason but each other. No heat-scent, no expectations, nothing but the tom he loved and a pleasure they rarely indulged.

Chance focused on relaxing as a second finger pressed into his body and began to work him. The contact was also a reminder that as rarely as Chance bottomed, Jake prepped even more rarely.

He opened his eyes, looking down at Jake, and realized that this just wasn't working for him.

"Just still getting into it?" He asked. "Or would you really rather... mmm... I was on top?"

Jake looked startled, then sheepish. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It's not something I find appealing very often."

"S'okay," Chance murmured, leaning up to kiss him. "Tell me next time you do though... for now, why don't we do this right?" He purred, rolling back on top of Jake and nuzzling his neck. He rumbled at the warmth he felt in response to the dominating motion privately cursed himself for not remembering just how subby his mate was.

"I forget sometimes," he murmured, kissing Jake and pressing him back into the bed. "Sorry about that - but I think I know what'll make it all better," he grinned, shifting to press his cock up into Jake's ass, his hard abs rubbing against his mate's cock.

The low moan that greeted the motion made him smile as he claimed a deep kiss and began to drive into Jake's body with a relish.


	33. Chance's Nightmare

"I wish I could come," Jake grumbled as he watched Chance get dressed in black, full-body biking leathers, secreting his Eagle pistol and a couple fighting knives in various places.

"So do I, Jake, but they were pretty specific about the rules," Chance pointed out. "I think they're worried you two'll explode or something if you touch," he muttered.

"It _is_ possible, but much more likely when you cross into negative dimensions," Jake hit on the subject and almost instantly went over his partner's head. "If it didn't happen when we met the evil SWAT Kats, it won't happen here."

"No, but do _you_ want to explain to Kathie why you disregarded her orders?" Chance pointed out. "This is already off the record, and _very_ much tiptoeing around them. Besides, you shouldn't be too much longer before you're done with the shuttle."

He didn't want to tell Jake the real reason _he_ didn't want him along. Even after sixty years, there was enough out there to leave his older self - despite having retired - telling him to come ready for potential trouble.

"No," he sighed and stepped up to claim a lingering kiss before backing away. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will," Chance promised, kissing him back. "I'll let you know if you've aged gracefully," he winked, trying to make a joke out of it as he slipped a spare clip into a pocket of his jacket. He just hoped nobody ran a metal detector over him; he'd sound like a Geiger counter going off.

"Mmm, maybe I should see if I can get a look at your current self, see what's going to be in my bed in sixty years or so," Jake teased him back and watched his mate leave with more apprehension than usual.

Chance went down to the bike he was using, hoping the roads hadn't been rebuilt too often; he was pretty sure he knew how to get to the park where Jake had asked to meet him, but sixty years of construction projects could make things a little confusing. He pulled out into the street, trying to focus more on what he was hoping to find out than what might happen there.

As much as he loved the big picture, he hoped his future would go better on the personal level. Maybe he could even find out the nature of the emergency that had kept him away from his daughter's twelfth birthday party.

He reached the park, pulling around to where the bench they'd be meeting at was supposed to be located, and saw Jake waiting for him. He was _definitely_ older, his fur graying a bit after his first century but he still looked pretty good. Chance pulled up, taking off his helmet and looking around.

"Good to meet you... _man_ that doesn't sound right," he admitted.

"No, it doesn't," the lean tom stood gracefully, especially for his age. "I see you managed to avoid your shadow coming."

"I think he wanted plausible deniability," Chance chuckled. "If he wasn't here, he could say he didn't know we'd met."

"Smart of him," Jake chuckled as they sat down. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well, first off, how about how you've been doing?" He chuckled. "Any health issues either of us should be keeping an eye out for?"

"Thankfully not," Jake relaxed on the bench. "We're both healthy. Our long-term grief has all been from injuries. There will be a few scares on both sides, but nothing modern medicine of the time can't handle."

"Good to know," Chance nodded. "What happened to me, that took me off field duty? Or are we trying to steer away from topics like that?"

"I don't," Jake chuckled. "Unlike the Commander, I understand that nothing will be changed by knowledge. This future will still happen, because they all happen. We were in one of my prototype firefighting airships, helping control a massive blaze that would claim the warehouse district and hundreds of blocks around it. The worst disaster the city's seen since MegaWar II's firebombing raids.

"Main engine failed after we were caught in an explosion. You brought us down in the water, but it was a hard landing. Your spine was broken in six places, among other things. We would have both drowned if there hadn't been so many people on scene to pull us out.

"Technology of the time did manage to repair the paralysis, gave you enough mobility to still fly well, even if not up to your previous standard. If I'd been in good enough shape to stay on combat duty, we probably would have kept at it, but my injuries would take several more breakthroughs to correct, some that haven't happened yet. So I went back to the corps and you went into teaching at the Academy."

"Ouch," Chance winced. "At least we both come through it... guess it's time to get down to the main reason I contacted you though. It's about Elayna," he explained. "I wanted to get what happened with her from Chance's side of things, and from yours. I already got hers but... well, I'm a little iffy about taking a politician's word for anything."

"That one ... I'm not entirely sure what to say," he admitted. "There'd been tension between the two of you since she was old enough crawl, maybe longer. It got stronger the older she got. Bad enough that for a few years in her teens you stopped going to family events she'd be at to avoid the fight she'd inevitably pick with you. Mom and Grandma both tried to stop it, but it didn't make much of a dent. All I'm sure of is that whatever it is, it's directed solely at you, and it's intense."

"From her side, it's mostly about the fact that I was around some, but never around reliably," Chance explained. "Anything in particular about her twelfth birthday you remember? She said it was the last straw for her."

Jake frowned. "I'm not going to call her a liar outright, after this long she might _believe_ that's what happened, but it doesn't mesh with my memories. Sure, some of the fights were over you not being around enough, but they ranged the gambit from what soda you brought her to city and Enforcer politics to not being the best in the air anymore. She just seemed to lose her mind anytime you were in the area, and it happened _fast_. I've seen her go from laughing and enjoying the day to damn near assaulting you in less than a minute. Personally, I always suspected some variant of your pheromone sensitivity, but it's never been proven, or tested."

"Boy, _that_ would be fun," Chance muttered. "Kid who's allergic to me being around. Of course, it could've just been how she handled resentment otherwise - can't really complain about your Enforcer family heading off to save the city, so find something else. We've _both_ seen that before. So, nothing in particular you can recommend to make her kittenhood a bit easier on her?"

"Get her tested," he said firmly. "As young as you can. There are treatments, for her or you, that might make it go better if I'm right. If not, you do the best you can, like you did this time. She turned out to be a good kid, even when she hated you. I count that as a success."

"There is that," Chance nodded. "Mind if I ask how things went with my family, when we became public?"

"In private, badly," he admitted. "Publicly, they were proud of their hero-kin and generally dodged the whole 'he's gay and married to a tom' angle."

"Well, it beats 'he sleeps with toms so we don't want anything to do with him,'" Chance mused. "Any advice about Rico?"

"He's a good guy, I don't trust him completely, but I don't trust _anybody_ completely," Jake chuckled. "I think you've seen their monster form?"

"Yeah, a new Dark Kat tried capturing my Jake, they helped me get him out," Chance shuddered. "I would _not_ want to be on the receiving end of that."

"Yeah, you and everybody who knows about them," Jake nodded. "They're trying hard to breed the ability back into a hundred percent of their population, but I don't know how close they are to it. It's a primary reason they pushed the government into acknowledge them as citizens. No one was ready to face an unknown number of those beasts when they were offering peaceful alliance."

"Blackmailed their way into acceptance?" Chance frowned. "Peachy. Though I can't say I blame them, Aristal's not the friendliest to aliens. Anything else you think we should talk over, on the big scale, before getting back to how things worked out for us? While I've got you here, I'd like to take advantage of it," he smiled.

"It wasn't blackmail," Jake shook his head. "I was there. But once you've seen those monsters in action, seen their powers, it's impossible not to think about what happens if you refuse their request for an alliance. We're going to see the biggest upheaval in recorded history since the fall of the Asherian Empire created the Dark Ages. The formation of a world government isn't going to be a smooth one, but it will be fast. We'll see two Commanders, more friends than I can count buried ... the odds we survive as long as we do; we must have a god or two looking out for us."

"I almost hope we don't," Chance chuckled lowly. "Gods just complicate things. Speaking of complications... do 'we' have any, that we should watch out for?"

"Fewer than expected, but there were some serious ones," Jake sighed. "The worst is something that still comes up, or doesn't, at times. Ever since the accident, you'd had difficulty performing in bed like you were used to. That I found it something of a relief never helps. You were always more than I could handle, but after a couple years, when the newness wore off, I leveled out to my old norm," he looked down. "To the point where there were times you asked why we got married if I never wanted to be with you."

"Ouch," Chance winced. "I can kinda see that happening, I suppose. Any advice for working around it, besides 'don't break your back'?"

"For dealing with yourself ... patience," Jake said softly. "Or acceptance. For what's between us, try to remember that sex was never part of love for me. I've never asked you to be monogamous, I've never wanted to take the brunt of your sex drive. I can't. I just wanted to be with you as much as I could," he added with real pain and no small amount of guilt.

"I'm sorry," Chance said, reaching up to squeeze Jake's shoulder lightly. "Awkward question, but did you ever try going for a triad?"

"You always insisted that it had to _be_ a triad, someone else I wanted to be with, or it wouldn't be fair," he sighed. "The only individual that would have worked for me, wouldn't have helped the situation, because she's not a sexual person."

"Sara?" Chance guessed. "Kinda figures, honestly. The fire... anything you can suggest that'll help me avoid the crash? Or the fire entirely?"

"Yes. I don't think the fire can be avoided," Jake admitted. "A gas main under the warehouse district was damaged in a major earthquake. By the time the right one was turned off, it had spread well beyond the leaks. Avoiding the crash ... if you remember not to get close to the abandoned Sugar and Spice Importers building, you might avoid it."

"Why were we close to it?" Chance asked him seriously.

"Going over it was the most direct path to a group that needed help," Jake told him. "There weren't any warnings I could detect until it was too late. I never built the sensors to handle what amounted to a city-wide firestorm. There was too much heat and interference from all around us to detect the heat buildup under us early enough."

"Right," Chance nodded. "If we'd been pulling somebody out, that'd be a lot harder to avoid... but you probably already knew that," he admitted. "Weird question for you - did _you_ ever have kits? At least in your life? Jake and I were joking earlier, and it occurred to me that the tech might've made it possible."

"Yes," he cringed even as he answered around a tight throat. "It ... didn't go well. Those were really rough times for us too. Our kits, both of them, di-didn't make their first birthday. The way I deal with grief doesn't go over well when you're hurting just as bad."

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry," Chance sighed, flattening his ears. "I didn't know, or I wouldn't have...."

"Maybe," Jake forced himself to look up, to show the grief he was still working through. "Maybe knowing ... it wasn't in vain, I knew the risks of being among the first ... maybe you can remember that I'm not one for funerals or elegies, or crying over death. Maybe you knew, and yelling was how you dealt with it?" he really asked.

"Yeah... I probably would have," Chance nodded. "I've seen how he handles grieving, but I've never known the reserved part of you was the real grieving process, for you. But even if I had known it... I've learned to do stoic, plastering over the wound. I think that I'd have snapped pretty badly, if I'd thought that you weren't hurting the way you 'should' have been. It's... not rational," he admitted. "But I've never really liked rationalizations... even though I use 'em more often than I like."

"That's what I thought, but it's good to hear it," Jake nodded. "Grieving has always been about making sure they left a mark on the future, somehow, because my family always does. Even if it's just in an obscure field, it's enough. Their contribution to medical knowledge in those few months was greater than everything I'll do in my entire life. Hundreds of gay couples have healthy kits because of it," he said with unmistakable pride. "The rest ... I work until the pain fades enough to deal with people again. Remember what I said about how I dealt with the aftermath of my first trip to Traveris?"

"I remember," Chance nodded. "And I understand the sentiment, now, when I'm thinking rationally. When the time comes, if it does for us... I probably won't be. Especially since I'll probably be torn up enough that working isn't really something I can even _think_ of doing."

"Something I understand, I just can't participate in," Jake nodded. "I'd literally go crazy if the loss was all I was allowed to focus on."

"I know," Chance nodded. "Probably doesn't help that your work occupies your mind, instead of your mind making working potentially lethal," he mused. "If it comes up for us, I'll try to remember, but... the best I can really do is warn my Jake that it might not matter to me when the time comes ... tell me about my kits," Chance asked him, not sure he wanted to hear this just yet.

"You haven't had much luck," Jake said quietly. "Of the seven I know you sired, one's alive and one's MIA."

"Seven?" Chance nearly choked. "Who ... who were they?"

"The boy in Traveris, back in MegaWar II. Cassandra with Turmoil, she's sixty and MIA. Elayna with Tezla, I understand you met her. Lealand with Megan, he would have been fifty-six. Died on duty, flying with the Knights. James was with me, he would have been thirty-two. Jessie was with me, she would have been twenty-nine. Scira with a girl named Sandy Ressu that you haven't met yet. She would have been nineteen, got buried in an avalanche while skiing. We found her, just not fast enough."

"Sweet Bastet, you're right about not having any luck," Chance murmured, shaking his head. "How many of them were intentional?" He asked Jake.

"Most," Jake smiled faintly. "Traveris and Cassandra were unintentional, Scira was somewhere between planned and not quite. Elayna, Lealand, James and Jessie were all very intentional. The timing wasn't quite that simple, though," he added. "You never met the boy, or Cassandra. The first kit you had anything to do with is still alive and doing well. Lealand was old enough to have two sons and a daughter and died doing what he loved as much as you do. He wasn't just following his father, he was following his passion. Scira was born before he died.

"James and Jessie ... we both knew the risks, that the odds were stacked against them. They were the first two you lost that you knew."

"That's something," Chance murmured. "How'd I find out about Cassandra?"

"She was born while Turmoil was in prison," Jake told him. "Turmoil said you were the father, but her kin got the kit before the paternity test came back positive. By the time she was tracked down, Turmoil was less than a week from being paroled and her claim overrode yours."

"Nice," Chance grumbled. "I could see it happening, but I'd think that I'd have my nose on guard if she was around. So no clue where she was after that?"

"She went back home, hasn't caused problems since then," Jake shrugged. "She's keeping her head down and nose clean, and a definite 'you are not welcome' sign on the door. What looks I have gotten of Cassandra were at a distance, through zoom lenses."

"Has she gotten into trouble yet?"

"Not ye***," Jake's voice cut off with the flash of a thrown tri-blade sliced into his side between two ribs and split his right lung.

Chance's eyes followed the blade up even as he moved instinctively, leaping over the bench they'd been sitting on to put himself between who'd thrown it and Jake, already drawing his pistol. He sighted the three shekats in the trees, all dressed as military black ops, and quickly drew a bead on them and opened fire.

He saw the dodge, another shot that smashed into another's shoulder, and another spinning tri-blade came at him from the leader.

In the fraction of a heartbeat it took him to plot the trajectory, he knew it wasn't at him, but at Jake's slumped head.

He changed that, hoping the hardware beneath his leathers would take the hit as he moved to put his off-arm in the way of the blade, firing at the shekat with his other hand.

He wasn't sure what to make of it, other than bad, when the injured one took the shot to her body instead of letting the target be hit. As the blade slammed into his arm, knocking him off balance and shattering the light armor as it stopped. He'd bleed, it'd hurt, but he was fairly sure it wouldn't impair him much.

Almost the moment he registered that, he also registered that the third one was within arm's length of him with a wicked looking blade aimed right for his chest with her full momentum behind it.

He twisted out of her way, bringing his pistol down on the back of her skull, knocking her out with a thud as she hit the ground. He was still trying to keep half an eye on the one who was coming moving through the trees, trying to circle them.

"Jake?" He asked, trying to get a feel for how he was doing, watching for another attack. He couldn't afford to drop his gun to call for help, and his other hand wasn't in a shape to dial... he had to do this himself, hope somebody would call in the gunfire.

"Bad," his voice was more gurgle than word. "Help coming."

"Get 'em here fast," Chance growled, looking around. "Get under the bench, out of the line of fire."

He spared half a glance to make sure Jake _could_ move, and his heart sank at the pool of blood that was spreading as the tom did his best to get off the bench and under it. This was more than the sucking chest wound that Jake was doing his best to control. Something major was bleeding.

"You'd really kill your own daughter to save a dead kat?" a mocking voice that reminded him _far_ too much of Turmoil grated his ears as he blocked her fist on pure reflex.

"If she'd murder my mate, yes," he growled, gripping her wrist and twisting to throw her to the ground. "Since your partner wouldn't have minded killing me, why should I?" He followed her down, and flexed his wrist to release one of the blades he had so he could fight her this close.

He felt a blade drive into his side, only to be stopped by the fabric-thin armor under his leathers.

He was sure she'd be wearing the same, but he had to try all the same. He hammered his fist into her chest; if the blade wouldn't do it, the impact would at least knock the wind out of her.

He felt her grunt as much as heard it, and knew just from feel that his blade hadn't penetrated. He'd have to knock her out, or go threw her face for a kill. Even as he processed his options, he saw her hand come up with the blade, but this time it cut threw his light armor like it wasn't there and ripped into flesh with a whole new kind of pain.

"You really think your mother'll put up with me dying?" He asked her through grinding teeth, twisting away from the blade as he popped his claws and slashed at her face.

"She's in no condition to care," she growled softly as they struggled and she got him to roll over so she was on top and her next knife strike. "Spent her entire life pining for your worthless cock."

"I never fucked her," Chance said dryly, focusing on keeping her hands away from him. "Not yet. Kill me, you're never born, and you never get revenge."

"Then she'll never miss you," Cassandra snarled, shifting her weight to try and force her vibro-blade into his chest. "Fair trade."

He saw his moment when she reached back to try and break his grip on her arms. As soon as she did, he brought his hands in, flipping his second wrist-knife loose. She tried to move back, to avoid him cutting her throat, but he leaned forward with her, driving the blade up under her jaw, through her soft palate, and into her brain. Her body twitched, blood flowing down his hands as he held her in place until she was finished. He brought a foot up, kicking her up off of the blade to leave her in the grass.

As he scrambled over to Jake he wasn't all that surprised to find a muscular body in the familiar Enforcer command uniform between them. "Cuff the live one," a voice very similar to his own ordered curtly. "Don't you dare say that," the officer growled softly at Jake.

"How is he?" Chance asked himself, careful to not touch him... he'd seen enough flicks with Jake to know it was at least _possible_ that it could be a problem. "How far to the hospital?" he asked as his older self picked up his mate, who was now wearing a more-than-passable field dressing.

"Not good," the older tabby said grimly as they both ran for the aircraft in the parking lot not far past the motorcycle and hoverbike. It was a design that all but screamed of Jake's design work and taste in colors in the black finish with red and gold highlights. "You tend him, I'll fly."

Chance nodded, climbing in and helping to load Jake into the gunner's seat, so his older self could fly.

"Stay with me, Jake," he murmured. "You've gotta hold on here, it won't be long."

He could see Jake try to respond, but little more than a gurgling mumble came out as they lifted off and accelerated. Though he couldn't feel it, from the viewscreen, Chance was sure this was well past legal limits, and quite probably past safe ones, given what he knew of the pilot's condition.

"I'm losing him!" Chance called up, checking Jake's failing pulse, getting him into position to start CPR. "Anywhere closer?"

"No," the older tom growled and pushed the engines a little harder.

"Come to me," Sara's familiar voice came over the comm system. "I can save him here."

Only half to Chance's surprise, his older self reacted without question or thought, just as if Jake had given the order, and their trajectory altered to make Katilia Field.

"If this thing can go faster, don't worry about me back here," he told his counterpart, trying to figure out what he could do yet to try and keep Jake going... or at least in a condition for what Sara needed.

Why had _Jake_ been the primary target, if she'd wanted revenge on _him_? Because he was the available one from this time?

"Sara, how much can you fix?" he called out, sure the AI was listening.

"I'm not entirely sure," she warned him even as he caught the flash of the inside of a large building on the viewscreen. "His mind must be intact."

"Where?" the older tabby demanded.

"Robotics lab," she said quickly.

"This way," older Chance said as he got up and opened the door to the aircar and lead his younger self across the landing area and into the part of the huge hanger devoted to all manner of robotic devices.

"Put him on the table," Sara told them.

"You're ... he's going to die," older Chance suddenly grasped what was happening even as he motioned his younger self to comply. "What body?"

"There isn't one yet," Sara said while tiny robotic hands hooked Jake up to a myriad of wires. "I'm going to upload him into this system until it can be built."

"Shit," both Chances swore under their breath.

"Hackl's process, the one he used with the Manges?" The younger one guessed.

"Yes," she said. "We have improved the process since inheriting his equipment, but it has always remained a last resort. Robotics and technology have also improved radically, as you saw with me earlier. He should be functional within a week."

"Hell of a way to put it," Chance muttered quietly, looking over at his older self. "I'm sorry... there's more bad news, about what happened, but I'm not sure I should hit you with it," he admitted.

"It can't be worse than this," the old tom looked at him, and Chance saw without a doubt just how hard the injury and its results had hit him. He looked far older than he was, and nearly broken. "Though I'll tell you something, your future is no longer this one. I never had this conversation with Jake when I came forward to this time."

"I'll keep it in mind," Chance nodded. "And it can't be worse, but it might be close... it was Turmoil's forces that attacked us. Apparently she's died, and they came after us for revenge. Why they went after Jake instead of me, I'm not sure." He paused for a moment, considering whether or not he should give his older self all the information... and decided that he'd want to know himself. "I'm sorry, but Cassandra was leading them."

"Cass... oh," he murmured, taking a moment to process it. "They targeted him to hurt me," he said almost evenly. "I'm sure she knew that living without Jake would be more of a punishment than dieing for me."

"You're probably right," he nodded slightly. "I should probably go report this... try and find a way to explain it without Kathie flying off the handle."

"Tell her that Jake insisted on talking to you," his older self suggested. "I'll back it up; it's the truth. He was trying to change your future, and he probably succeeded. Or better yet, let me explain it," he turned to look at his younger self. "Your injuries can be tended here."

"That'd probably be good," Chance admitted, finally realizing how badly he'd been hurt. "Then I need to check on _my_ Jake, make sure he didn't respond."

"He did, and he's on his way here," Sara said. "If you lay down on the medical bed, I will see to your injuries."

"Over there," the older Chance directed him with a wave to an adjoining room, completely unwilling to leave his dying mate's side.

Chance nodded, heading over to the other room and climbed up onto the medical bed as he wondered just how this would work. His focus soon turned to gripping the wound in his side to slow down the bleeding; much longer, and he'd be in trouble himself.

"Sara, was this ... for both of us ... somewhere in Jake's plans?" he heard the older Chance asked.

"Yes," she admitted. "Holographic and robotic technology has advanced to the point where you would never know if it was not for the additional abilities you would have."

"Was he planning to ask me?"

"If it was voluntary, or we had perfected the process, yes," she told him. "There is still a significant risk of it not working."

As awareness drifted away, he was distantly aware of other questions being asked, but he couldn't make them out anymore. When he drifted towards awareness again, there was a warm body curled against his largely uninjured side.

"What day is it?" He asked quietly, sure Jake would be awake, waiting for him.

"Wednesday," Jake's voice was soft. "You've only been out for a few hours. How's the side feeling?"

"Vastly better than it should, considering the puncture," Chance said quietly. "Sweet Bastet, it's been Hell today."

"So I've gathered," he nodded and stretched up to give the tabby a kiss on the cheek. "Your older self is under sedation, by the way. He wasn't in any shape to be loose once his mate's heart stopped for good."

"Hope he tells him, after he's back... if he's back," Chance murmured. "They've got definite issues there... nothing that can't be fixed, but they need some help."

"Just from what I know, I'm not surprised," he admitted. "Anything to share with me?"

"Some," Chance nodded, sighing and wrapping his arms around Jake. "Turmoil's pregnant, assuming our timelines mesh to when we left. Our daughter's the one who attacked us."

"Oh gods," Jake whispered, his mind going back to the bloody scene and then into overdrive. "Did you get enough to claim the kit before it's gone? I mean, Turmoil's in jail for years yet. Someone on the outside is going to get the girl. It might as well be us."

"I know Turmoil well enough to know there aren't many chances for who the father could be... it's the paternity test that got in the way, her family claimed her before we could, after I learned about it. Knowing now though... that gives me a chance. Just a question of what happens after that. He also said...." Chance swallowed, hugging Jake tightly. "In about thirty years, seems we tried to have kits, twice... it didn't work, either time, but we managed to pave the way for people it did work for. It's part of what got between us, eventually."

"Genetic engineering, the risks ... we were among the first to try with two toms, I'm sure," Jake murmured, his mind going over it. "And I buried myself in my work, like I always do."

"Which I took about as well as would be expected," Chance nodded. "I've always thought it was not being comfortable with the people, not that it was how you grieved... and mixing that with having already lost two or three kits before, it sounds like I got pretty nasty about it, from time to time."

"I'm not surprised, honestly," Jake admitted. "Sara!" he called out to the computer. "Burn all data I'll need to have the first kits be successful. You know what you can read in my time."

There was a brief pause. "Doing so."

"Be a good start," Chance murmured. "Sounds like there were other things that happened, but I don't know what, exactly. Off the kit subject, you need to work on getting our sensors set up to handle heavy heat all around them, when you get the chance. I found out what happened that took us out of the air."

"Details?" Jake focused sharply on his partner.

"I'll add that too," Sara volunteered.

"City-wide firestorm that took out our sensors," Chance explained. "After a quake the gas lines broke under the warehouse district. The Sugar and Spice warehouse exploded while we were flying over it. I managed to break my back in six places when we crashed in the bay, apparently."

Jake shuddered. "A miracle to survive, but a hell of a price. I'm sure the doctors were floored when you walked again, much less flew."

"Most likely, though apparently medical tech made it a lot easier... he said I could've flown combat again, and probably would have, but it was a bad idea and you'd been in worse shape than I had been."

"With much less drive to get back in the area," Jake nodded, understanding the situation perfectly. "The Enforcers and flying were never what I planned to do for life."

"Bingo," Chance murmured. "It also linked to a cascade of rough times in our sex life that added to the frustration levels.... I'm _really_ glad we'll get the chance to change this, for us."

"Me too," Jake murmured with a shudder. "I can also tell you flat out that even if he really is dead, that chance would have been more than worth it to me ... to this Jake. I'm sure he knew the moment I found out about the kits I'd ask for the data to prevent it."

"Yeah... let's just _not_ tell Kathie about it," Chance murmured. "Bet she's on the fucking warpath right now."

"She will be when she finds out at least," he nodded and sighed as they pressed close together. "For all they've been through, they still love each other a lot."

"How was he when you got here?" Chance asked him softly, rubbing Jake's back.

"His body was dead, Sara said she wouldn't be sure how well the download of his mind would be for several days. His mate was pretty wigged out, so I got a sedative in him and put him to bed. I'm kinda hoping he stays under until we find out if his mate came through or not."

"Sounds like a plan," Chance murmured. "Jake? Remember one thing for me, always," he said, leaning his mate's head up. "I love you," he said, kissing him deeply.

"I will," Jake promised, shifting up to kiss him before snuggling close. "I love you, too."


	34. Cheating Death

Jake and Chance walked into the heart of the complex that Katilia Field had become in fifty years of regular Clawson acquisition. What had been everything Jake worked with in their time was now devoted to the computer core, robotics and the medical bay, testament to the fact that Jake was still injured too often in his work, Enforcer or not.

The older Chance was propped in a chair, his body and spirit very close to broken, was only half aware of his surroundings thanks to the sedation that had kept him under control for the four days it had taken his mate to be ready to make an appearance. It was a state that his younger counterpart understood all too well and Jake wasn't at all surprised about.

"Please give him the antidote," Sara told the younger Jake as they came into the robotics lab. "Jake will be ready to interact when he comes around."

"Right," Jake nodded. "Who else is coming?"

"Major Rico, Commander Firetail and Agatha Feral," Sara said as Jake carefully injected the sedated tabby. "I would have preferred to have only Rico here, but Jake believes he can handle the six of you seeing him. He is fully aware. The transfer worked perfectly in both our opinions, but operating a holographic body is not a simple thing."

"How restricted is he going to be, in where he can go?" The younger Chance asked, noticing Agatha's name, but not commenting on it just now. Apparently they _had_ managed to save her.

"Eventually he should have full mobility, much as I do," she explained. "There is a small hologenerator design that can be used as an endpoint to our transmission relay, and the number of mobile systems capable of fully uploading us is growing. Within the year I expect he will notice little difference, other than his new abilities."

"Good, we are not late," Rico said as he walked in with Kathie, still scowling from what had happened, and a very worried looking Agatha, who looked to be in her late sixties.

"He has been given the antidote," Sara informed Agatha as she quickly walked over to the older Chance.

"Glad to see you, just wish it was under better circumstances," the younger one told her.

"How long before Jake should be ready to prove he's okay?" Kathie asked.

"I was just waiting on everyone to be here," the dead tom's voice, a perfect reproduction even in it inflection, startled everyone, and snapped his mate right to his feet.

"Where?" the older tabby look around, still throwing off the effects of the sedative as Agatha tried to get him to sit down again.

"That is spooky," the younger Jake murmured as he took in a possible future for himself. "You're technically immortal now, right?"

"Assuming the system with my consciousness isn't destroyed, yes," he answered as a hologram of him, old and well into the graying process, flickered into existence.

"It's not funny, Sara," older Chance growled at her.

"I am not joking," she told him evenly. "Rico can prove it, I believe. He can pick me out as a sentient mind."

"That is true," the pitch black Mouse admitted and focused and shifting through the minds in the area to find the most tightly shielded one. "Jake, both of them, are here," he sounded more than a little startled. "She's not lying."

"She wouldn't, about something like that," the younger Chance said. "Everything came through? Is there anything missing?"

"The moments before his death are fuzzy, but generally intact," Rico nodded. "Chance," he turned to the older tom. "You have my word, on my honor, it's really Jake."

"How?" the older Chance stood and extended a hand to touch the mostly solid-hologram.

"The tech that created the Metalikats," his mate told him as he leaned into the contact. "It's still unreliable, but it works, sometimes."

"Why didn't you try with Lealand?" his tone was nearly accusatory.

"Because he was completely dead and gone by the time his body was retrieved," the older Jake pointed out gently. "It doesn't work after you're dead more than a few minutes."

"The Metallikats _were_ still technically alive when Hackle found them," Jake pointed out. "From what he's told me, at least."

"You know I'm technically, legally, dead," the new AI said painfully even as he covered his mate's hand with his own. "You can walk away, take your last few years the way you expected to."

"Who says they're going to be that few?" The older Chance said stubbornly, putting his hand back over Jake's. "After everything we've been through, I'm not gonna just dump you now."

The hologram smiled shyly and moved a little closer to kiss him, the sensation almost correct. "We have a lot to sort out, later," he whispered to his mate before turning his attention to Kathie. "You were invited mostly as an old family friend, but I also wish to extend my word that this will not be common technology until the legal system, and society, is ready for it. I don't expect that will be anytime soon."

"Especially not with the Metallikats as everybody's established model... will you be going public with what happened though?" She asked him with a frown.

"I would prefer not to," he admitted. "There would be far too much pressure from the rich and powerful to give them immortality if it became common knowledge that the technology wasn't destroyed when Hackle said it had been. I want to build in a few safeguards first, at the very least."

"In which case, the official story is that you were seriously injured, but are recovering well," she nodded. "We've got one of the people who attacked you in being questioned, but this sounds like it was always meant as a suicide strike, from what she's told us."

"That surprises me," the new AI cocked his head. "Good snipers are not that hard to come by in merc circles. I'm paranoid about security, but I'm definitely not perfect. Given time, she has the contacts and finances to see me dead in an untraceable way."

"This wasn't about seeing you dead," the older Chance said with certainty. "This was about making me pay for what I did to her mother by betraying her. I know, but that's how _she_ saw it. How long before you think you'll have this body feeling right?"

"Sara took the better part of two years, but most of that was refining the technology," Jake thought about it. "She thinks I can have it indistinguishable from the real thing within a week. The big hurdle was learning how to think again. I got that down. The rest should be easy, at least for a century or two."

"Why don't we let them talk and adjust for a bit," the younger Chance suggested. "I'm sure there are a few things we need to sort out ourselves before we head back."

"Yes," Kathie nodded, looking at the pair uneasily before motioning everyone to follow her.

Agatha stepped close to the younger couple as everyone moved away. "I've said it a few times over the years, but I wanted to thank you for pulling my tail out of the water, and into a time where I can have a life."

"You're welcome, though we haven't had the chance to yet, from our perspective," Chance smiled. "Having a good life then?" He asked her hopefully.

"Rocky in places, but it has been far better than anything I could have hoped for back then," she smiled warmly at him. "I found I even enjoy motherhood," she shot a cautious look at Kathie, who was deeply involved in a conversation with Rico. "I think you gathered I didn't marry you, but I did marry a Furlong eventually, just a much younger one."

"I'll assume he _didn't_ hear about that night off of Quatermass," Chance chuckled. "I hope you're happy together; that's the important thing, as far as I'm concerned. Besides, it looks like I ended up hitched anyways... I hope you weren't put off to find out about Jake and I?"

"Honestly, it freaked me out pretty bad," she admitted with her gaze down. "It's a big part of why we didn't happen. I don't really mind a second mate or lover ... but, well...." she could only shrug with embracement. "Eventually I saw that you two loved each other as much as any pair I knew. I may have been raised that it was wrong, but I was also raised that if you find love with your mate, it is the greatest gift in life. I couldn't deny that after everything you'd been though.

"I was very happy with my mate until he died in the line of duty," she smiled a little bit at the way Jake reached out for Chance's hand and moved just a bit closer to him. "You and both your families were a real godsend, helping with the kits and finances as I figured out how to do it all alone. Especially Tezla, since she'd done it before."

"Nothing else to do," Chance smiled slightly. "The grandkits getting along well?"

"Yes," she blushed. "Very well. Amera is already taking Enforcer-prep classes and has a junior pilot's license."

"Oh, I'll bet her aunt _loves_ that," Chance chuckled lowly. "Though she might be softening up on her opinion of the Enforcers."

"Possibly," Agatha said. "Politics guides her more than anything. The Enforcers haven't been politically popular since the world government. They're the only force that retained significant independence. At first it was to save money ... the people with the problem pay the bulk of it's cost, but it isn't always seen that way."

"Well, it sounds like this time it's deeper," Chance explained. "We had a talk about it a few days ago."

"True, your current rank and status hasn't helped," she admitted. "I honestly haven't spent much time around her."

"Can't really blame you," he nodded. "What did you end up doing, besides raising kits?" He asked her curiously.

"Enforcers," she blushed. "I started as a pilot, moved into command, then transferred to the Academy when Lealand was killed."

"Never would've pegged you for a teacher," he admitted with a chuckle. "What subject?"

"It wasn't my first choice, but with three young kits to support myself, I couldn't justify risking my life every shift. I teach Enforcer History, Tactical Fundamentals and Uniform Care most years."

"Can't think of anybody better, especially for the first," Chance chuckled. "Why don't we catch up somewhere, while we're around? Things seem quiet enough now, for once."

"All right," she nodded with a slight smile. "There's a pub not far away that's decidedly Enforcer friendly."

"Works for me," he grinned and waved goodbye to Kathie and Rico, who were now in a full-on debate that seemed to be between equals, not between a Commander and a Major.

"I'm going to work with Sara," Jake told them. "See how much I can cram into my head before we leave."

"You haven't changed a bit," Agatha giggled. "Have fun with your second mate."

"Don't say that in earshot of the current Chance," Chance chuckled as his mate blushed and went off to work with the hologram. "Sounds like there were some sore points there, though you probably know that better than I do. So, you have something we can ride out in? Afraid I got here by jet, and not mine on top of it."

"It's been a joke since before you rescued me. Sara?" she called out. "Can we barrow a couple cycles?"

"Of course, Agatha, Chance," the AI replied sweetly.

"This way," she grinned at the tabby and headed outside. "Have you ridden a hoverbike before? I know Rico has one."

"A couple times," Chance nodded. "Not that often, but I should be able to manage it."

"You can ride behind me," she offered. "I've had one for years."

"Thanks," Chance nodded. "I managed well enough when Jake was katnapped, but I'd rather not have to repeat that," he chuckled, following her to one of the outlying buildings where a number of hoverbikes, and other futuristic one or two person vehicles, were sitting.

"I'm sure," she giggled and handed a helmet back to him before they got onto a black and red hoverbike. "Nothing like that shuttle, but they do take some getting used to."

"Would you believe I had an easier time figuring that out, at first?" Chance chuckled. "Of course, being shot at is a _real_ good motivator."

"No kidding," she laughed lightly and powered the hoverbike up before pulling out onto the private roadways that connected the various buildings, hangers and warehouses with the main gate. "Of course, the shuttle is an aircraft too. This isn't quite a ground vehicle, but it's not an aircraft either."

"And you do have _some_ input from the world around you; that shuttle might as well be holding still while you're flying it," Chance agreed. "Physics aren't supposed to work that way."

"Have you worked out how it does that yet?" she asked as they hit the city streets.

"He said it pulls space around the ship, instead of moving itself... I don't really get it, but that's par for the course," Chance chuckled. "Figured that out after the war was over... your war," he added, to clarify it.

"All a good pilot needs is a gunner they can trust," she smiled to herself. "You got lucky and yours is a design genius too."

"Well, it helps that a blind monkey could fly that thing if he knew how the controls worked," Chance chuckled. "When you don't have to worry about inertia, how many g's you're pulling, or anything else, you've turned it into a complicated video game with high stakes."

"Somehow, I _really_ don't want to see a blind monkey get its hands on one of those craft," she couldn't help but laugh deeply. "Though I always found it harder to fly without all the physical clues."

"Oh, I'm with you, it's just a lot harder to do something stupid and break your neck without actually crashing," Chance laughed back. It had been way too long since he'd been able to just chat with another pilot who knew how to fly a real jet.

"I'll give you that," she grinned, darting in and around traffic, occasionally even over it, through a park and generally ignoring every traffic law he could think of. "Maybe we can see who's the better pilot, you or me, in my modern times?"

"Modern jet?" He asked her. "Be a blast, though not tonight I don't think."

"Not after drinking," she agreed as she pulled up in front of a well-populated pub. "I got that one drilled into my head before they let me fly. Apparently you told a few too many stories about folks living mildly drunk."

"I was always very clear that it wasn't everybody, but it was a _lot_ more lax than it got to be," he chuckled. "Of course, there's a big difference between an old biplane and a modern jet in terms of forgiveness."

"Yours or mine," she agreed as they left their helmets on the hoverbike and walked inside. "Back then it helped a bit not to think about what you were flying. Common sense told you it was a bad idea."

"There's a reason the first pilots were people like us," Chance grinned. "Just a touch of crazy along with the guts. So, bar, booth, or table?" He asked her, looking around the pub.

"Booth," she said as she spotted an open one as the meet and greet began with those already there.

"A little strange, meeting people who've already known me for over a decade," Chance chuckled when he joined her, sliding into the booth next to her. "How'd you get on with the Ferals, when you got to modern times?"

"Very well, though there was some strain with the people who knew me from the war," she smiled as they sat on opposite sides of the booth. "The family has such a strong Enforcer tradition and pilot tradition that it smoothed out by the time my education had caught up to modern standards."

"Ticked off that you hadn't come back after we rescued you?" Chance guessed. "The war was pretty much over by then, wasn't it?"

"Historically, yes, though I didn't know that yet," she nodded. "The women of the time didn't understand how I could possibly want something other than the high-status marriage that would have been arranged for me. Fortunately for me, their answer was to refuse to arrange any marriage," she chuckled. "It worked out well."

"Well, by the time we'd have dropped you off, arranged marriages were frowned on anyways," Chance chuckled. "Besides, I like to think you married better than any of the toms they'd have pulled out."

"I know I did," she smiled warmly. "You had an incredible son."

"Thank you," he smiled back. "Tell me a bit about him? He's not around yet, but it'd be good to know."

"He reminded me a lot of myself, and you," she smiled, pausing as they gave drink orders. "Willing to do whatever it took, give up anything to follow his dream. He really was what drew me back into your life, something I'm very grateful for. He was teased for following his dad, but he was really just following his heart. He'd fly all shift, and as often as not we'd go out flying to wind down from it. Pregnancy was hardest on both of us because I couldn't fly stunts, but we still went flying almost every day."

"Were you expecting it, when it happened?" He asked her. "Kinda awkward question, but...."

"Hopeful, I think is the best description," she accepted a dark ale from the waiter. "Neither of us were entirely sure we could. Other than through you, neither of our families have a strong breeding heritage. It was nine tries before it worked."

"Okay, seems my branch of the family has a history of going for infertile families," Chance chuckled, shaking his head. "Between you and the Clawsons, at least."

"It balances things out," she chuckled, sipping her ale. "Your over-fertility and our under-fertility. And simple opportunity. Low fertility doesn't do well in poorer areas where you need a lot of hands to help out. Would you like to meet our kits, before you leave?"

"I'd love to," he smiled. "How old are they?"

"Amera is fourteen, James and Jessie are five. Yes, we named the younger twins after the two you lost with Jake," she told him. "Amera will probably lose her mind to meet you in your prime, and Jessie has a real fascination with anything in a uniform too. James ... he's the expensive one if we don't keep an eye on him, but he's a real sweetheart. I'm trying to steer him away from the military life, but I'm not sure I have much chance at it."

"A bit of a troublemaker too?" Chance guessed, taking a sip of his own lighter beer. "Would you mind if Jake met them too, if he wanted?"

"I think it would be wonderful," she said with real warmth. "Just please tell him not to get in any conversation with James that involves explosives, dissolving things or destruction and mayhem in general. He's too fascinated by it already. I don't need his favorite uncle encouraging him."

"Maybe it's the name," Chance chuckled. "Sounds like Jake's uncle James was the same way, though in a rougher way."

"True," she admitted, something less than happy in her tone. "I _really_ hope he doesn't go that way, even if it doesn't seem likely. Tezla said he's more like Jake than her brother. His fascination with fire and explosives is worrisome, though."

"Agatha? He's a tom. You expect him to grow out of it?" Chance smirked.

"Not really," she admitted. "He'd do well in demolitions, but it's such a risky job."

"Very true," he nodded. "But there are safer ways to work it out, and knowing Jake, he's probably gonna end up on his way into design if he likes his uncle."

"It's true; there are entire fields of study where you blow things up to make them more resistant, and private demolitions is fairly safe. I just worry about him."

"You're his mother, it's your job," Chance smiled, reaching over and squeezing her hand. "Have you talked to Jake about it? Maybe a little encouragement is the right thing, just pushing him in the right direction."

"He has, but James _is_ only five," she smiled weakly. "There's no real way to know until he starts to look at specialized classes, or gets picked up for arson," she tried to make light of it. "He's a good kit, none of the really scary warnings. He's just ... a boy with an IQ of 198. Jake's mind and a destructive bent."

"Okay, serious question - a destructive bent, or a fascination with things that burn or blow up? There _is_ a difference," he pointed out. "Between being fascinated with things being destroyed, or fascinated with the spectacle of what does the destroying. The first one's scary, the second one's natural - not that different from the combat rush."

She thought about it, going over every moment of destruction in five years. "The spectacle," she decided finally. "At least I think so."

"That's pretty much testosterone there," Chance offered. "And while it can be harmful, it's a lot easier to control than if he really was fascinated with destroying things. Folks with that sort of thing can make a fortune in some pretty safe areas," he smiled. "Try and get him into FX work instead of the military, maybe."

"He's got the smarts and creativity for it," she admitted with a smile. "I'm not sure how much is still real these days, but it's worth looking into."

"Speaking as somebody who's gone to movies with Jake for years, there are plenty of people who want to see something other than CGI," he smirked. "So, feeling better about that end of things?"

"A little, though you really have no idea what CGI has become in the last sixty years," she tried to smile, though it was a sad one. "For all Enforcer lives haven't changed that much, just about everything else has. There are barely any actors these days, not serious ones anyway. It's a nitch market now, live acting. It's all CGI these days. It's cheaper, faster, and higher quality than live action could ever manage."

"Gee, what _will_ the world do without overpaid actors to tell everybody how horrible they are for wanting to get ahead in the world," Chance said dryly. "Though I imagine you can still tell the difference. They never really match up, from what I've seen."

"Sixty years have pushed technology a long way," she said. "There are a few folks who are brilliant on the screen and you can tell, but not for the bulk of actors. Most of the good actors have gone back to stage work. Holograms are capable of doing it, but it's not cost-effective to replace the people yet."

"Porn must be an entirely different world," Chance chuckled, shaking his head and taking a drink. "Probably not half as much fun to make, either. At any rate, I'll ask Jake if he'd like to meet them... did I at least manage to be a decent grandfather?"

"When you weren't in a full-blown emotional crisis, yes," she nodded and patted his hand. "I can tell you tried, even when you were barely holding yourself together."

"I'm glad," he nodded. "From the sound of it, I managed to foul up most every other relationship I've had, so it's good to know I did well on one front."

"You did well with Tezla, Megan, Lealand, Sandy and Scira, not to mention Jake, despite the difficulties," she reminded him. "Just because you're in a massive crisis from losing two adult kits in as many years doesn't mean you did badly with either of them, or their mothers."

"Helps to hear that, considering that most of my exposure to how good a parent I was came through Elayna," he said and smiled at the comforting squeeze Agatha gave his hand. "From her end of things, it sounds pretty horrible, especially with what I've heard about me and Jake after that... sounds like I've got what I need to fix a lot of that though, now."

"That's good, because through it all, even in the worst times, I've seen very few pairs who were as strongly bonded as the two of you," she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Especially if you can avoid getting as hurt as badly as you did. That probably did more damage to your personality than anything else. What do you think about hitting a movie before I introduce you to the kits?"

"Sure," he smiled. "Have anything in mind?"

"Something I can't take the kits to," she purred softly. "Lots of action, of all kinds."

"Don't suppose they're still churning out Rakenju flicks?" Chance chuckled. "Sounds like it'd fit your bill nicely."

"Definitely," she laughed easily and stood. "They play like full-on porn of your day too."

"This I've _got_ to see," Chance laughed, finishing his drink and standing with her. "Let's go."

The pair walked out, Chance only pausing enough to know that whether it was a tab or something else, the bartender clearly thought they were paid up.

"Before this becomes awkward," Agatha said as she put her helmet on and settled on the hoverbike. "You're not weird with watching porn with your future daughter-in-law?"

"It would've gotten awkward long before this, given what we've done before," he pointed out with a chuckle before putting his own helmet on. "Besides, it's not like we'd be cheating or anything."

"Good," she grinned and him, waiting for him to settle behind her. "I think you'll enjoy what Rakenju's become. It's sexy as hell and still has plenty of adventure."

"Given folks were screaming for it to be banned back in my time, sounds like they'd have strokes if they saw what it is now," he grinned, settling in so she could take off. "Just interested in the movie?" He asked her.

"Not when I pick one of those," she rumbled deeply. "Not that you probably need it to get in the mood."

"No, probably not," he purred. "But there are other advantages to a quiet, dark theater and some seats near the side."

"I like the way you think," she flashed him a grin before pulling into light traffic, heading for a theater she knew.

Before long, they were at a relatively small theater, the only store left open in the mall it was attached to.

"Skip the popcorn?" Chance suggested almost lewdly as they waited in the short line, his arm around her. He had to admit it was a little more comfortable with her at seventy-something than at seventeen, even if she was now thirty years his senior instead of twenty-five his junior.

"How about chai-katnip chocolate balls?" she purred throatily.

"Sure," he chuckled, kissing her cheek lightly. "I can cover those, though."

"Deal," she grinned before stepping up to the robotic ticket counter. "Two for Rakenju..." she glanced at the listing. "132. Retina," she said with practiced ease and leaned forward slightly to look into a scanner.

"Payment cleared, have a good time," the robot told them, it's voice mechanical without the attempts at realism that Sara displayed.

Of course, it wasn't an AI either.

"How do kits get a job with all the robots?" Chance asked quietly as they approached the concessions bar -- two long counters full of all the stuff he expected, but not many names he knew.

"Mostly at the non-profits and government," Agatha explained and pointed to the box of chocolate balls she wanted. "Businesses get a tax break, and good PR, for hiring people instead of machines, but a lot of them still find it cheaper to go with machines."

Chance swiped the card he'd been given to handle expenses, paying for the chocolates and a pair of drinks.

"Just how good are they getting with AI's, beyond Jake's specials?" He asked her as they walked back to one of four theaters in the small place. "Things that can handle more of a job than a script can cover?"

"You'd be amazed what a script can cover," she chuckled ruefully. "Honestly, it's not a field I pay much attention to. They can do anything a person can short of creative ideas and still aren't called AIs."

"Avoid raising the issues that Jake'll bring up as long as possible, huh?" He guessed as they found their seats in a quiet, secluded part of the theater and sat down.

"Something like that," she settled in, snuggling against him after she lifted the armrest between them. "Maybe the standard is just too high. Everyone that's known to the public aren't technically AIs. The Metallikats and a few others that were born as people."

"I suppose," he nodded, snuggling back up against her. "See this one before?" He asked her quietly as the trailers ran.

"I don't think so," she chuckled and leaned her head over to nuzzle his neck. "They tend to blur together after the first dozen or so."

"Mmm ... all the more reason they're the perfect date movies," Chance purred, wrapping an arm around her, sliding it up into the crook of her arm, touching the side of her breasts lightly.

"This theater is good that way too," she purred deeply, a hand sliding along his leg to rest lightly against the side his sheath and balls. "You have to be _very_ loud before anyone asked you to stop."

"Good to know," he purred. "I don't plan on testing them, but...." He let his hand stray around further, teasing her nipple through her blouse.

"Mmm, but you never know," she purred deeply, shifting to encourage him to her a bit more as the movie began with a series of explosions ripping through a primitive stucco village and Foxes running for their lives.

It was really a mark of Chance's fondness for the series that he was able to follow the plot at all, keeping half an eye on the movie as he focused more on paying attention to Agatha's responses as he explored her body through her clothes. This was a lot different from the last time; he had the time to explore, and she had the experience to know where she wanted him to go. She was no less sure about her desires than she'd been before either.

With a low, deep moan of pleasure Agatha shifted her hand to rub against his sheath, encouraging him to full arousal.

It didn't take her long, especially when the action scene gave way to the hero playing with his secretary before getting the mission, especially with most of the other couples having the same idea they'd had. The general scent was building in the theater, and Chance wasn't really in a mood to fight it as his hands slipped lower, around her lean waist, and down between her legs to rub her through her jeans.

"Oh yes," she hissed against his neck. She rocked her hips into the touch as her fingers slid up a bit to unbuckle his belt and pull his zipper down so she could fondle him more directly.

Chance swallowed a groan as she stroked his cock through his boxers, finding her own zipper and sliding it down, curious what sort of underwear _she_ wore these days. His fingers soon told him that it was next to nothing, a silky bit of fabric that couldn't belong to more than a thong. It was already wet too as he lightly circled his finger around her clit through her panties.

Her breath against his neck quickened, as did the stroke of her hand along his shaft.

"You feel so good," she moaned into his ear, shameless in the darkness of a theater she knew was for horny couples.

"You're pretty damn hot yourself," he rumbled quietly, slipping her thong to the side to touch her directly. "Just how far can we go here?"

"As far as we dare, as long as it doesn't bother the others," she panted, her body trying to pull in a cock that wasn't there. She pulled his face around for a hungry kiss as she stroked his cock a few more times.

When he moaned into her mouth, his body hot and dripping a bit of pre, she let go and stood, shimmying her jeans down a bit before she leaned forward over the chairs in front of them, her tail along her back in an open invitation.

For a brief moment, common sense from sixty years ago warred with lust, but he quickly ended that fight in the only way anybody who knew him would expect. He stood, the seat closing behind him as he leaned up along her back, reaching to press a hand over her mouth as he slid his cock into her with a low hiss of pleasure.

She sucked one of his fingers into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it as she squeezed around his cock with her body. Both of them were so close to the edge it was a struggle to hold back.

Chance thrust into her, leaning forward to bite down on the scruff of her neck as his balls twitched, eager to fill her hungry body. He moved his finger, 'fucking' her mouth with it as they mated, a few other couples doing the same thing. The back of his mind appreciated the position; it let him continue watching the movie while he took full advantage of the hot, horny shekat.

He felt her whimper around his finger and her body clenched down around him, milking him hard and fast as she came.

He groaned around her scruff as he came with her, filling her with his thick, hot seed before he reached around to fold the seat down, pulling her back into his lap.

"Have to appreciate sturdy seats," he purred quietly, nuzzling her neck, his cock still inside her.

"Yes," she purred deeply, her legs held together by her jeans. "I do love this theater."

"I can see why," he rumbled, looking up at the screen as he wrapped his arms around her, happy to snuggle even after his shaft slipped out of her body. The movie carried in for a while, the hero heading down to the same area that had been attacked in the opening scenes, and before long Chance had caught up well enough - rehashed plots were handy for that sort of thing.

What wasn't rehashed was when the hero retreated to his temporary hut with the chief's daughter... and the Vixen dropped 'her' robes to reveal that she was really a very effeminate male.

"They'd have been burned alive in my time," he purred, both in arousal at the scene and pleasure at everybody's general lack of negative reaction when the Fox offered his body in thanks, and was eagerly taken up on it by the hero.

"Some things have definitely gotten better," she chuckled softly and reached around to kiss him. "It helps that it's Rakenju. Mainstream isn't quite here yet, but you'll get two toms kissing or in bed now and then without a riot."

"It's progress," he purred, returning the kiss, his cock starting to stir again as he watched the scene playing out on the screen; it wasn't full-out hardcore porn, but it was about as explicit as het scenes in the series had gotten back during his time. There was absolutely no question what was happening, or to who.

And no question that both the Fox and the hero came hard and more than once before it faded to a new scene.

"Up for another round?" He purred quietly into Agatha's ear, the shekat still contented on his lap with his cock pressing against her mons and between her legs.

"Oh yeah," she rumbled, arching as she pressed back when his hands came up to cup and fondle her breasts. "Just save enough to ravage me when we get home. Tezla has the kits tonight."

"Mmm ... don't worry, I'll save up," he purred, starting to fuck her again as the movie played, entirely too turned on by the freedom to do this in relative public.

* * *

"Wow," Chance whistled under his breath when Agatha pulled the hoverbike into a private, gated driveway with a retina scanner for access. While small by mansion standards, it was an estate no matter how he looked at it.

"The property was a wedding gift from Tezla, the building and furnishings were from various Ferals, much of the art is from Ryan, and Jake did security," she chuckled and got off the bike near a side entrance. "The Furlongs hosted the public party. For all the grumbling about you, me and my marriage to Lealand in general, it was a big event."

"You can't tell me that the Furlongs were ticked about their family marrying into the Ferals," Chance said, looking at her in clear disbelief. "What the Hell was wrong with _you_ , from their end?"

"Just that I was marrying _your_ son and not one of the 'proper' family," she rolled her eyes. "Just the whispers in the corner, not a formal objection. That came from my kin."

"Figures," he grumbled. "I'd think they'd be happy you were making an honest tom out of him. Well, only one Furlong you have to worry about tonight."

"One that is going to be a great deal of fun," her dark brown eyes glimmered in excitement as she turned and pushed him against the door to claim a kiss. "Tell me, does Jake always take it, or do you switch?"

"Mph!" He grunted into the kiss, grinning beneath her lips. "He always takes it, but by choice - I bottom too, if you're into that."

"I am," she purred, reaching down to shamelessly grope him. "Lealand wasn't much of a sub, but he taught me how much fun role reversal could be."

"My flavor too," Chance purred, starting to undo her top, spreading his legs for her. "Sounds like we've done a good job of corrupting you," he winked.

"Oh yes," she grinned before taking a step back and pulling him towards the stairs nearby and up to her bedroom. "You and modern times have done very well," she paused to turn around and press him against the wall for another kiss, using her greater height to good advantage.

Chance reached down, fondling her crotch.

"Would the Mistress like a little oral before we get up there, or do you prefer blowjobs when you can get them?" He asked her with a grin, enjoying the rare chance to play the bottom.

"I prefer the blowjob," she grinned and showed him to a grand, very masculine master bedroom decorated in Enforcer style, a showcase of generations of service.

"Very nice taste," he observed, looking at some of the pictures that were up, and a rack of medals. "All yours?" He asked her as he stripped down.

"Those are," she pointed to one of the smaller displays. "Above it is my father's. Next to mine Lealand's, above it is yours. Various of my other relatives are here."

"Mind if I ask why you've got mine?" Chance asked her quietly, looking back at her as she changed.

She looked at him, more than a touch surprised. "Lealand had them for the same reason I have my father's and a few other relatives who supported me. It's our heritage on the wall."

"I'd just have thought that I'd have hung onto mine," Chance admitted. "Replicas?"

"Of course," she nodded and stood naked and at ease before him in full light for the first time. "All of them are. My brother inherited my father's originals, along with his flag."

"Not used to military families yet," he admitted, looking her over with a purr before getting down to his knees in front of her. "So, I seem to remember you mentioned something about a strap-on?" He purred, making a shameless display of his own body and the arousal she'd created on their walk up.

"Yes," she smiled and kissed him firmly before turning to open a finely crafted dark wood chest to bring out a harness and a sizeable dildo. "What is your size preference?"

"Not too much bigger than me, smaller's a bit better, especially to start," Chance said easily. "I don't do this very often - usually, my dates prefer it when they're in my place," he grinned, stroking his shaft lightly.

"I have a good idea why," Agatha winked and selected a somewhat decorative feline dildo smaller than the tabby for the outside, and a larger, much stranger one to slide inside her body when she put the harness on.

"I should hope so, after the film," he smirked, licking his lips to moisten them. "Been a while since I've done this, so let me know if you want me to change something."

"Poor tabby doesn't get much variety, does he?" she crooned and stepped up to him, rubbing his ears and hair gently.

"Plenty of variety, just not this type, Mistress," he purred, pressing into her touch. "Not that I'm complaining," he grinned up at her.

"Good," she stroked his head. "Show me how good you are with your mouth."

Chance licked the strap-on from base to tip, moistening it quickly before he took it in his mouth. He took a few minutes to get a feel for how well it handled, and what she liked him to do for it, before he started bobbing his head up and down the silicone shaft, working the one in her pussy in and out of her body.

His nose told him as much as her moans that he was turning her on, and the way she was looking down at him made him quite sure it was his performance.

"Up for a little bondage while I take you?" she rumbled hotly, her body trembling slightly in the pleasure of his efforts.

"As long as you'll untie me later," he rumbled back up at her, licking the fake cock tenderly, nuzzling it like the real thing.

"Oh I will," she promised and stepped back to grab a couple ropes and small tube of lube. "Lay on the bed, handsome. Your ass is about to be mine."

He nodded and sprawled on her grand bed, putting his hands up so she could tie him to the frame and watched as she moved between his legs, propping them on her shoulders to expose his tight pucker to her fingers slick with lube that made his anus tingle.

"What's that?" Chance asked, leaning his head up to try and get a look.

"Just lube with a bit of a tingle to it," she told him before pressing a finger inside his body, getting a feel for how tight he was.

"Oh... feels different," he groaned, trying to relax, keenly aware that he was going to need a fair amount of prep, though Jake's aborted start a week earlier meant it wouldn't be as bad as it could be. He could feel that she would take her time too, and unlike Jake, she did find this appealing in it's own right.

"So, are you one who gets off from his balls?" she cooed, using her free hand to fondle the heavy orbs.

"I can be," he nodded. "Jake's about the only guy who's done it before," he added with a challenging grin.

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow in return and lowered her mouth to his balls, slowly rolling her tongue around one as she continued to stretch his ass with her fingers.

"Mmm... really," Chance groaned, his cock twitching a bit as she sucked one orb into her mouth to play with it inside the warm heat. "Especially after two rounds already," he rumbled, working her fingers with his ass.

He had to admit, she was just as hot now as she was at seventeen. The difference between horny and desperate and horny and confident was palatable in how she handled him.

It was hot too. So few were willing to top him, and most of them were guys. It had been over a decade since he'd found somebody willing to peg him like this, and between his anticipation and her skill, he was quickly at the edge, his balls twitching at her attention, ready to spill themselves.

"Not long," he warned her, not sure if she wanted to go all the way or not.

The deep purr that vibrated his balls while she made a very intentional press against his prostate was all the answer he needed, but he still held back as best he could, enjoying having a shekat do this to him far too much to let it go.

Despite his best efforts, his hips soon thrust up off the bed and his seed splashed across his abs and chest.

"Mmm ... second person to manage that," he purred deeply between his pants. "Does Mistress think I'm ready now?"

"Yes," she grinned as she withdrew her fingers and lifted herself up to sink the dildo into his ass with a smooth, slow motion, ready to back off if he flinched.

He didn't, though his moan was a little hitched as he adjusted to the rings of barbs, and the length of it as it slid up into his ass.

" _Fuck_ it's been a long time," he groaned as she rested, hilted inside his body for a moment to let him adjust and be sure he was ready.

"You're just too good with your cock," she rumbled deeply and began the first withdrawal of fucking him. "Everybody wants it in them."

"Hey, I'm willing to trade off," he grinned, leaning up as far as he could with his wrists bound to the bed to kiss her playfully, licking her lips before she opened her mouth to claim a much more heated kiss.

She picked up the pace a bit, angling to rub against his prostate with each thrust and moaning into his mouth as the dildo and harness worked to pleasure her as well.

He moaned back, pressing down into her thrusts, his balls rubbing against her fur, his cock twitching every time she hit his prostate.

"Fuck," he groaned lowly. " _Damn_ you're good with that!"

"I get practice," she panted, her eyes mostly closed in pleasure as she fucked him, dominating him in a way he hadn't been on the receiving end of in over a decade, at least voluntarily.

"You get... mmm... off on it too?" He panted, his balls starting to tingle as she fucked him, feeling closer with every thrust, though he knew that this time he could hold off longer.

"Most of the time," she nodded, her hips pistoning against his. "You smell so good," she moaned and leaned in for another kiss.

He took it, gladly, pressing his tongue into her mouth, moaning as it twined against hers and the dildo in his ass worked him expertly. Finally, he threw his head back with a roar, his balls pulling up close as he came, spurting his semen up onto his chest and against hers.

She thrust a few more times, angling it a bit differently, before her body stiffened and she cried out in her own pleasure, her body working the dildo inside her as the harness worked her clit.

Chance kept working the shaft inside of him, keeping the pressure against her going, adjusting to get the best moans and whimpers from her.

Agatha soon cried out again, her claws digging into the blankets under them as she tried to fill his body with seed she didn't have. When she finally stilled, catching her breath, she detached the dildo from the harness to leave it in his body when she took the rest off.

She tossed the harness aside but kept the dildo, sliding it back into her sex as she leaned over him to claim a hot kiss.

"Have a few more rounds in you, hot stuff?"

"Mmm... want it under your tail this time?" He purred, kissing her back. "Untie me, and I'll give you what you're after."

"I have something else in mind," she grinned and slid back, stoking his hard, full cock for a moment before she reached for the lube. As she spread it along the length, getting it on every protrusion and around the head, he felt it tingle skin that was already beyond hyper-sensitive.

" _Fuck_!" He groaned, his eyes rolling back as he thrust up into her hand reflexively.

"It gets intense fast, doesn't it?" she crooned as she continued down to spread it lightly over his balls, then turned to tie his feet to the bed.

"What've you... got in mind?" He asked her, his teeth clenched as he adjusted to the sensation.

"Oh, I intend to have you under my tail," she rumbled as she did a quick bit of prep on herself before straddling his hips to slowly lower herself onto his cock. "But you aren't in charge just yet."

"Mmm ... fair enough," he moaned, thrusting up into her, loving the way her body tightened around him. "Y'like it this way?"

"Yes," she moaned, arching her body as she rode his cock and fucked herself with the dildo. "Same reason you do, I expect."

"Mmm... you don't have a prostate," he groaned, loving the way the dildo felt against his cock through her body. "Damn this is good," he rumbled, grinding up against her, his cock throbbing inside of her.

"Everything else is the same though," she panted, shifted to brace backwards on one hand as she used the other to move the dildo still inside him, fucking him as he fucked her. "Feels real good."

"No wonder... mmm... you take a few rounds first," he panted. "Wouldn't last long if this was right away!" He grinned up at her, wanting to do something other than just thrust up but unable to do anything more than enjoy the feel and look of her body as she worked both of them expertly.

"I learned well," she grinned down at him, shifting to place the dildo right against his prostate as she milked his cock with her body. "Come for me, hot stuff," she crooned.

He happily obliged her, roaring with his climax as he pumped her ass full of his seed, feeling her deeply as he strained against his bonds. He panted, trying to come down as she slid off his cock and reached for a small towel in the nightstand to clean his cock off with.

"Mmm... my turn?" He purred, his cock twitching as she cleaned it.

As he watched, she slid the dildo from his ass, then the one from her pussy. Then she began to untie him, feet first, then his wrists.

"Your turn, hot stuff," she leaned over him and claimed a kiss even as she willingly turned over control to him.

"Good," he grinned, rolling over on top of her, kissing her hungrily as he fondled her breasts. "Anything off-limits?"

"Nothing normal," she spread her legs, offering herself eagerly.

"I'll keep it in mind," he purred deeply, slamming himself into her pussy and starting to thrust eagerly in the first of what would be many more rounds before they both finally passed out.


	35. The Old Married Couple

Chance sighed as he lay down on the king sized bed that he hadn't shared with anyone else for almost two weeks. It was hardly the longest time he'd slept alone, but it was the most difficult. First wondering if Jake would really be dead, then wondering if he was really a person anymore. Jake and Sara swore he was no different, in mind, than before, but it didn't feel right.

Maybe when Jake's body had all the kinks worked out ... but how long had it been since they'd spend more time as a couple than on opposite sides of a fight? Too long, he knew. He knew it was no small part his fault, but Jake....

"What the hell happened to us?" he murmured to himself, before going tense as the door to the bedroom slid open with a soft swoosh.

"Hey, buddy," Jake's voice sounded like him. The shadow in the doorway looked like him, right down to the uncertain submission in his body language.

If he didn't know what he knew, he would have smiled, grateful to see his mate again. As it was, he wasn't sure what he should feel.

"Hey," Chance murmured, reaching out to hug him uncertainly and found every subtle nuance of muscle, warmth and fur, even scent and the feel of his breath was true to memory. "Wasn't sure if you'd be here just yet," he admitted.

"I came as soon as I could," Jake murmured, nuzzling him affectionately. "None of this was what I had in mind."

"I know," he sighed. "So goddamn many things haven't been what we had in mind... you think you did any good, talking to him?"

"For them, definitely," he smiled warmly and pressed close. "They probably won't lose the kits, or be so badly injured in the fire. Not that it can't go wrong any number of other ways, but they're in better shape than we ever were at their age."

"Too bad we can't give them more specific intel from the invasion," Chance murmured, scratching Jake's back lightly, trying not to think about the fact that he wasn't actually there. "Mind if I sit down? Back's a little sore," he admitted.

"Of course not," Jake kissed him gently and guided him to the bed. "What have you been up to, since they won't let you in a plane?"

"Honestly, I've been spending a lot of the time doped up," Chance admitted. "Teaching when I could; they didn't really expect much out of me since... you know."

"I know," he snuggled close, more aware now of how he moved, and that his care not to aggravate his mate's injuries used to be relatively thoughtless. "You aren't doped up now, just tired?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Not really physically, but... it's been a long couple of weeks," he admitted. "How about you?"

"An extremely long couple of weeks," Jake agreed, his fingers playing down his mate's broad, powerful chest. "I've missed you a lot, more than usual. Talking with the younger you made me think about how much between us has been because we didn't talk when we needed to."

"Well, neither of us is much for talking when we're not feeling well," Chance pointed out, groaning a bit as he leaned up to take off his shirt. "You start working, I start bottling... at least I've managed to stay _off_ the bottle this time."

"It's amazing sometimes that neither of us have gotten ourselves killed, with all the bad times we've had," Jake sighed, playing his fingers through thick fur that was still mostly golden on his way to Chance's belt. "I don't suppose you feel like a little better inspection, now that I'm back?"

"Jake, you're the one who got hurt, not me," Chance pointed out, kissing his neck lightly. It _felt_ too real, almost... hard to believe that the situation was what it was, when he could feel Jake's fur and warmth. The lean tom's shirt felt completely real as it was shed, and maybe it was. All the familiar scars were there, the subtle shifts in texture between gray and cinnamon fur, everything was exactly as he remembered.

Even the soft moans and light arousal growing in Jake's scent as he explored his body in a way he hadn't in years.

In a lot of ways, the most telling thing about their relationship was how long it took Chance to realize what Jake had been suggesting.

"What brought this on?" He asked, trying not to break the incredibly rare mood as he kissed Jake gently, almost as if he was afraid he'd break him.

"I don't hurt anymore," Jake purred deeply before returning the kiss with more heat. "And talking to the younger Chance gave me a lot to think about in the last couple weeks."

"Hope I can try and keep up with you," the graying Tabby murmured, reaching down, tentatively touching Jake's groin, making himself push any concerns down. He had him here; that was what mattered.

"You'll do fine," Jake assured him, the arousal feeling very real to them both. "I wouldn't mind starting with exploring you though," he suggested a bit seductively. "I think I still remember what works best for you."

"Go ahead," Chance murmured, scratching Jake's back lightly as they finished undressing. It would be easier to let him take control for a bit. He had to admit, it added to the surreal feeling, but it also felt good to have gentle hands and a talented mouth that were in no hurry work down his chest to his groin. A gentle tongue slid around one of his balls before it was sucked into a mouth that remembered exactly what turned him on the most.

Chance moaned, reaching down to run his fingers through Jake's fur.

"Be like this with the new one too?" He asked quietly, knowing he shouldn't, but not able to shake the thought of sleeping with a robot in a while.

"It should," Jake told him before turning his attention to his other ball.

"Fuck," Chance groaned deeply, his cock rigid and hot for release like it hadn't been in ages. "Jake... up here," he said, tugging him up for a kiss that was returned with raw passion.

"It's been too long since we let passion take over," Jake purred, rubbing his own arousal against his mate's.

"Yeah," Chance murmured, rolling over on top of him, kissing him deeply, scratching his chest. "So close to losing you...."

He shifted down, pressing into Jake's ass with a groan that, for once, had more to do with pleasure than with the aches of a very rough century.

"You never have to fear that again," Jake held to him tightly, memory supplying every bit of pleasure that his holo-body wasn't quite providing yet. "Love how you feel inside me."

"Make sure you never forget it," Chance purred deeply, starting to thrust, his body quickly finding the rhythm he'd spent most of his life figuring out. He stopped himself from thinking about the soreness that was always there, even as it spiked occasionally to remind him he probably shouldn't do this as often as he'd gotten used to when he was younger. He was a little surprised to find that, inside, everything matched up with what it should have been too, though he couldn't quite figure out why it surprised him.

"Stop thinking, love," Jake moaned and pulled his face close for a long, heated kiss. He tightened his body around his mate, sparks of pleasure shooting through his solid holographic body. Distantly he knew it was more memory training his body than the other way around, but he still trembled in desire, close to the edge and only just holding back. "I'm here, I'm real."

"I know," Chance grunted, focusing on the here-and-now, pounding his mate's ass, panting with the exertion, trying to hold back and make this last as long as he could. He knew he'd never last as long as he thought he should be able to, he hadn't in years, but this was so good....

Under him, Jake whimpered, his body quivering as he worked their mating. "So close," he moaned into a long kiss.

"Better... make it... quick," Chance grunted, finally roaring as he came hard inside of Jake's ass, his balls pulling up close to his body. He was only a few thrusts into the orgasm when he felt Jake stroke himself the rest of the way off, the intensity of the pleasure shooting up as his mate clenched down around him, milking his cock for every last drop.

"Way to long since it's been that good," Chance panted, resting on top of Jake, hugging him tightly as they both enjoyed coming down.

"Agreed," Jake nuzzled and kissed him. "Maybe we can try understanding and not ignoring each other a bit more?"

"I've been trying to understand you for sixty-five years, why stop now?" Chance chuckled weakly, snuggling up with him. His mind was still fighting between the undeniable reality in his arms and the knowledge that it wasn't alive. "Why did you do it?"

"I wasn't ready to die," Jake said simply. "It really is that basic. So many projects, so much to see, technology is still advancing exponentially ... the idea of not being hindered by the needs of a body has no small amount of appeal as well."

It didn't surprise him, but he was a little hurt to not hear himself on the list.

"And you gave up the afterlife for it?" He asked quietly.

"It's never appealed to me," Jake told him gently. "Being reborn didn't much either. I'd spend most of my life just getting back to where I am now, not advancing. I know you've looked forward to it, to not hurting anymore, to having the world around you be peaceful, maybe even fly with your own wings. You know as well as I do that I don't need to be part of that for you to be happy. It'll probably be easier on you if I wasn't there, because I _wouldn't_ be happy."

"I guess not," Chance murmured, kissing him lightly. "It's a scary thought," he admitted. "Not... really being alive."

"You aren't really alive in the afterlife either," Jake pointed out. "I'm sure I'll end up there eventually. People aren't wired to be immortal and stay sane. The safeguards will shut me down before I go that far, but it won't be for quite a while."

"How do you know?" Chance asked him quietly. "How do you know how anything's going to work now? You've made yourself into one Hell of a prototype."

"In absolutes, I don't," Jake admitted. "I know what I designed, I know it works on animals and when I upgraded the Metallikats it shut them down. Will it work if I'm fighting it, realistically, probably not. I built it, I can break it."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Chance sighed. "At least not until long after I'm gone."

"It's not something you want to have considered, is it?" Jake asked, even though deep down he'd known the answer for decades.

"Why would I?" Chance asked, unable to suppress a shudder at the idea. "It's... Jake, I know it wasn't something you had a choice about, but I wouldn't even be... real...." He tried to find a way to explain his attitude, without making it sound like an attack on Jake.

"Do you really _believe_ I'm so much less without my original body?" Jake rolled over to face him while they snuggled and put a finger to the old tabby's mouth when he tried to say something. "I never expected you to go for it. You're so much more attached to your body and that living means having a breathing, stable form. I've never had that link, and after so long with Sara, I just can't think that the form has much to do with the person. I was looking forward to not needing to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, or any of those maintenance things we have to do. Plus the advantages of not having to walk anywhere, or risk a life when I test-pilot something. To have my intuitive leaps but the knowledge and processing power of a supersystem ... I can't even begin to describe what it's like to be this _free_."

"But do you actually _feel_ anything?" Chance asked him quietly. "Or is it all just a set of equations in your head? The computer telling you the pressure, the temperature, from what it can pick up on the fields?"

"It was mainly equations in my head before," Jake chuckled and slid his hand down Chance's chest to fondle his balls, making him moan softly. "But I don't come from equations. The body is real, it's just not permanent."

"And what happens if the power goes out?" Chance asked him quietly. "Hell, forget about those issues - how can you still want to be with _me_?"

"Assuming all backups fail, we basically go into stasis until power is restored," Jake shrugged. "For being with you, it's the same answer that I gave after you thought you'd never be a proper mate again. For all you ill temper and issues, I do love you."

"How long is that going to be enough?" Chance sighed. "You already said how much you like the freedom... I don't fit into that world."

"Chance, you haven't fit into my world since the crash," he sighed. "A decade or six like this isn't going to bother me."

"Assuming I even last that long, right?" Chance asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Why do you have such trouble accepting that I love you and form or function doesn't matter to me?" Jake sighed. "Time doesn't matter to me, other than we don't have much of it."

"I never did deserve you, you know that?" Chance murmured, kissing him gently and found him welcoming and pliant. "I'm sorry... I should just be happy you're not really dead."

"And not afraid I'll freak out and do this to you," Jake gave him an understanding smile. "I won't, knowing you don't want it. We've had a long run, longer than either of us have any right to, with our lives. I intend to enjoy the time we have. When you move on, so will I."


	36. Choices in the End

Lt. Cmdr. Furlong walked through the halls of the Enforcer Academy, returning the greetings and occasional salute he received from the few folks around the teacher's offices just before midnight. He knew everyone was aware that he shouldn't be there, not a week after his mate was nearly killed and still in critical condition, but he also knew that as long as he stayed out of the air and off the weapon's range, no one would challenge him on it either. They'd just assume that he was here to do paperwork and class planning after he was told to go home by hospital staff.

It wasn't entirely incorrect, either. He was here to take his mind off the fact that he woke up alone. Admittedly not an uncommon occurrence, but this morning it was just too much. He needed to get out of the house, get away from the things that had to do with Jake for a while.

While getting so drunk he couldn't think had the strongest appeal, he'd been fighting that urge ever since losing the kits, and he didn't want to go back off the wagon now. Besides, he needed time and space to think about the future, maybe reflect on the past. Space and privacy that very few locations would give, but he knew Jake wouldn't bother him here in his office.

With a groan of relief, he sat down in a chair that had been crafted just for him and his battered body's needs. Here in this room with only small, high windows and little that spoke of the modern world, Chance could block out much of what had gone wrong in the past fifty years.

Even the images of those important to him were from a bygone era. Flat photographs in frames as old as the pictures. A lifetime of memories, stored the way they were when he was young. As bad as those times were, there were times he missed how simple it seemed. Back before death didn't always mean you died. Before a computer could be more of a mate to Jake than he could.

He picked up the photograph of Jake just after they'd been assigned to the Black Knights. He couldn't even remember who took it, much less who'd manage to tease Jake into showing off his new patch in such a playful manner, but he was grateful to them. This was the Jake he always wanted to remember. It was when their relationship hadn't been complicated by sex, politics or knowing far too much about the other.

It was, in essence, before Jake fell in love with him.

How much would have been different if Jake _didn't_ have a taste for toms? Or at least not for the tabby he'd been partnered with?

"How much indeed," he murmured to himself, brushing a finger over the picture of the kat he'd spent most of his life with.

Almost sixty-five years. Not as long as his folks, but his folks had gotten together in their early twenties, not their mid-forties.

He'd been so many things in those extra twenty-something years too. A factory worker, a grunt, a sniper, a cop, a killer and a pilot, all before Jake even came into his life. It was hard to believe at times.

Chance put the frame down and picked up a picture of his oldest daughter, the one everyone knew not to ask him about.

"Face it you old fart, they know not to ask you about anything personal," he snorted, considering the image Jake had given him out of the blue fifty years before. It wasn't very good quality, especially by modern standards, but it was probably of one of the last innocent moments in Cassandra's life. He treasured it for that, even knowing what she would turn into and who would kill her, and why. "What a mess they made of your life," he murmured. "I may not be a great father, but at least none of the kits I was there for hates enough to kill."

He sighed and moved it to the side of his desk with those he loved that were dead and gone. It was a collection that was looking more and more unbalanced towards the dead and gone.

He picked up Jake's picture again, one that personified Jake's life at it's best and studied it for a long time. Eventually it blurred from the tears, and when he blinked and wiped them away, the photo had been placed with the dead.

It left the side of the living with only pictures of mothers and wives left behind by his children.

"That pretty much sums things up, now doesn't it," he murmured before picking up the photo of his oldest son on the day he nearly burst with pride. It was hard not to see the similarities to the picture of Jake; both were taken on the day they had joined the Black Knights. As much as it hurt to lose Lealand, his was in so many ways the easiest of the funerals he attended.

He had kits of his own, and died the way his father could only dream of dieing now; doing what he was passionate about and making a difference.

Lealand's life had been short, but full.

* * *

Chance looked up from his desk as he heard the alarms going off just before dawn. He punched the comm on his desk.

"This is Lt. Cmdr. Furlong; what's going on, Command?" He asked.

"An attack force has targeted the Academy," a female voice replied. "Get your students into the shelters."

"None here," he reassured Command, grateful he didn't have a class in session. "I'll see if there are any in the halls," he told them, keying off the comm and hopped up on his desk to look out the high windows to see what he could detect in the pre-dawn darkness and shook his head. He climbed down and hurried out, glad to see that nobody was coming in early for his first class.

Then he headed for the school's airstrip. With any luck, he'd be able to see what was going on, at least. Depending on the situation, they could be here before the Enforcers had scrambled, or gotten in from patrol. He was grateful that no one thought to stop him, and that he'd let Jake tweak his personal trainer so it could go into combat mode with only a handful of changes he could make in the field.

By the time he got to his jet, he could see the first of the incoming wings, and despite all the time since he'd seen the outline's ancestor last, he knew instantly who was coming.

Turmoil ... or probably Cassandra's ... forces.

They had to be after him, or after Jake; the Academy, the hospital, and Katilia were all viable targets for them.

Fuck their problems; he wasn't going to give them a shot at finishing what Cassandra had started. He hurried out to his trainer, and the cache of supplies to switch it to combat mode. It wouldn't be up to a current Black Knight Raven, but it was still _his_ jet, his Black Sun, one of Jake's babies. It could outfly him by a fair margin. If he was careful about his maneuvers he could take advantage of surprise, and the approaching dawn.

A little twinge in the back of his mind told him that he was taking a horribly stupid chance going up, that he had no business doing this, but he didn't care right now.

That same little twinge tried screaming at him, pointing out that that was exactly the problem, but he shoved it down with the combat focus as he stripped and changed into his flight suit, climbing into the jet and running pre-flights as quickly as possible.

"We're cleared for take-off," a familiar voice came from the gunner's position, a voice that hadn't been back there for decades.

Chance nearly pivoted in his seat, looking back at Jake in shock.

"Jake? How are you in here?" He asked him, blinking at his partner even as it registered that Jake looked to be in his prime again, the age when he _did_ do this regularly.

"It's my jet, buddy," the lean tom said calmly. "Once I heard the attack was headed here, I knew you'd head up. I just waited for Black Sun to power up."

"Didn't know you had projectors in here... I'm still going up," he warned Jake, turning back around, turning fire control over to the gunner's station.

"I'm not solid here," Jake told him as they powered up the engines and taxied out of the hanger into a VTOL liftoff. "I can control everything, but the visual is just so you don't have to listen to a disembodied voice. You don't really expect me to let you go into combat solo, did you?"

Chance wasn't sure, but he could swear his partner sounded hurt.

"I didn't think I'd have a choice," he admitted softly. "But I'm glad you're here," he added. "Come on - let's go let my outlaws know they're _not_ welcome in Furlong turf."

"No they are not," Jake growled with all the fire of his days in the Enforcers. "You keep us alive, I'll deal with their numbers. First target locked."

"Wait until we can surprise 'em," Chance warned him, angling around to get behind the wing of jets. "It's our best chance."

"Understood," Jake held back until they'd snuck up behind the incoming wing. "Backup is on its way," he added as a barrage of small missiles and laser fire assaulted the back of the enemy wing.

"Get 'em here ASAP - and take out as many of them as you can before they turn on us, I'm going to take 'em out over the bay once they do," Chance told him. "Try and head for the dawn."

"Will do," Jake said, his focus turning to shooting down anything that came into range. "We are outclassed," he warned his partner. "You can't take the turns they can."

"Then tell me where they're coming from - they'll have to be careful about shooting at us if a miss hits their base," Chance growled, turning towards the bay as the wing began to turn towards them.

"Out at sea," Jake replied, shifting the weapons he could to the rear to keep their pursuers off their tail. "Way out. Very well cloaked too," he grumbled.

"Then lets light 'em up," he muttered, hoping it was just radar cloaking as the sun began to come over the horizon; if he could see it, he could expose it to radar. As he crossed over to water, he had to put his full focus on staying alive against pilots who could fly faster and take higher G's than he could. He was absolutely positive he blacked out briefly a time or two, but instead of crashing, his vision would fade back in further out to sea.

"12 degrees port!" Jake suddenly got his attention in time to see an extremely low profile sea carrier.

"Shifting for a strafing run," Chance told him, pulling down low enough that he could foul up their radar, barely above the carrier itself. "Get ready to shoot anything that looks important."

"Ready," Jake said, opening fire on several targets, from weapons to aircraft to antennae. "Try to get me on line with the control tower."

Chance quickly lined up between the gun towers, coming up barely high enough to clear the _people_ in the way, let alone other craft.

"Make this count, buddy," he murmured, fighting to maintain consciousness, his back screaming at him and his heart pounding out of his ribs as he struggled just to breathe. A very distant part of his mind knew that nothing they had on board could take out the tower, and in a second or so, he couldn't have pulled out even on his best days, days that were long past him.

"I will," Jake promised. "You can let go," he said softly. "I have it from here."

"I know you do ... but no, I can't," Chance told him. The pain was incredible, but he was still the better pilot. If they were going to have any chance of making it out of this, he had to get them to the tower at least.

At least that was what he told himself, forcing himself to focus. It was almost like he was back in Lothos at the beginning of his adult life, after two weeks exposed, days beyond his supplies, waiting for a target. Only two things existed anymore - the target, and the weapon he was aiming at it.

That weapon just happened to be the jet he was in, not a rifle.

* * *

"How can you let him do this?" Kathie demanded, standing at the window of her office, looking out at the bay, straining to see what was going on in the early morning hours. Jake was behind her, his holographic form there as well as with Chance, among other places.

"How could I not?" he looked at her with a mix of incredulousness and grief as the fireballs grew on the horizon as the explosion of the jet set off ordinance and fuel on the carrier. "This is what he wanted, what he would have done with or without me. All I did was tell him that I supported him. You know how much it was killing him inside to know he'd never get a chance to make a difference when he went out. He stuck around for me all these years. I just returned the favor for what mattered to him."

"What?" she twisted on heel to stare at his not-quite-solid form.

"It was this, a training 'accident', or a blaster through the skull," Jake told her quietly. "He's been contemplating his death since the accident. It was just a question of how intentional and how much good he did. This is what he wanted," he didn't even try to hold back the tears as he stared past her to the fireballs on the bay. "It's what we all want, to make a difference when our time comes."

"Clawson!" she snarled, her fur bristled in heartache and anger, and a bit of frustration at how little he seemed to care that he was talking about suicide and not an unavoidable death.

"I was there, Kathie," Jake told her. "I took the gunner position, stayed there to the end. It really did take the jet to do enough damage."

"A fully equipped fighter, through...."

"Still wouldn't have been able to do enough damage, not close enough," Jake told her. "I built what they're equipped with, remember? That thing was built to be able to take it. It was a one in a thousand shot to hit a weak point, or hit it with more force than anything we'd use this close to the city had."

She sighed and looked out over the city and bay. "I'll take your word for it, and not think about what else you said of his state of mind. He earned his hero's funeral more times over than I care to think about."

* * *

Chance groaned and rolled over, stretching out, as he heard Jake opening the door to their hotel suite to get the room service that had presumably arrived with breakfast. He climbed out of bed, not bothering to dress before he went out, stepping up behind Jake and wrapping his arms around the lean tom, kissing his neck.

"So, what's for breakfast?" He purred, relishing the way his mate snuggled back into him even as his nose filled him in.

"Things I suck at cooking," the lean tom chuckled and turned around to claim a kiss. "Fancy food. Duck and Andouille scallion pancakes with ginger orange sauce, sausage-grits lasagna and chicken fried steak."

"We're gonna be spoiled when we go back home," Chance purred, rubbing his crotch against Jake's jeans. "Speaking of which, before we do, I want to catch a film with you."

"Sure," he kissed him again and slid a hand down to fondle the tabby's exposed groin and morning wood. "Just no splitting up this time."

"Trust me, I plan on keeping you on a short leash," Chance grinned broadly, undoing Jake's pants. "Literally, if you'll let me. It's the theater Agatha took me to - the place is incredible."

"Oh, really?" Jake rumbled with real curiosity as he stroked the tabby until he got a deep moan. "Now I was thinking a pre-breakfast snack, but if you have something else in mind...."

Chance slid Jake's pants down around his ankles and pushed his chest down onto the polished wooden dinning room table.

"Oh, I think I do," he purred, spreading Jake's ass and pressing his cock up into the tom's body.

"Oh yeah!" Jake shuddered and relaxed, welcoming the pleasure of being taken hard and fast.

Chance leaned forward, nipping his neck sharply.

"Mmm ... your ass is mine," he rumbled, fucking him hard and deep, finding his prostate and hammering it with his barbed shaft.

"Anytime, anywhere," Jake moaned, already trembling and his balls pulling up. "Love you."

"Love you too," Chance purred, biting down on his scruff, reaching down to stroke Jake's cock as his pre seeped into the tom's bowels, their balls bumping together and their moans mingling with the scent of their arousal.

Jake began to pant, not trying to hold back as his mate stroked and fucked him. Within a few moments he cried out as he came, his body milking the tabby's cock as he groaned around Jake's scruff and filled his ass.

"Best way to work up an appetite _ever_ ," Chance panted, not pulling out just yet, nuzzling Jake's neck.

"You'll get no argument from me," Jake purred, content to remain under his mate.

"Want to get those pants the rest of the way off before we eat?" Chance asked him. "Or maybe do breakfast in bed, if you think we can keep on-track long enough?" He winked.

"Since I'm actually _hungry_ , let's stick to eating at the table," he laughed easily. "You'll never stay on track in bed."

"Like you'd complain during the distractions," Chance pouted playfully and pulled out with a groan. "I'll go get some clothes on, for now."

"We can indulge after breakfast, in the shower," Jake winked at him and pulled his jeans up before he served the meal on the two plates set side by side.

"I'm game," Chance purred, hurrying to get dressed before coming back to eat. "This _does_ smell incredible," he added.

"As long as we're on the state's dime, why not indulge in food we don't get at home?" Jake grinned and kissed him as they sat down. "You aren't going to get this quality anywhere _we'd_ eat voluntarily."

"Very true," Chance chuckled. "Maybe after we get back, and the invasion's died down, we can take a vacation for a bit... not quite this ritzy, but somewhere comfortable, y'know? Where we can get you some water to play in, instead of a ship with a holographic girlfriend," he teased.

Jake could only roll his eyes. "You figure out the gay-friendly tropical spots and I'll pay for it," he challenged.

"I already know a couple," Chance purred. "Ever hear of Desire and Hedo?"

Jake gave him a funny look, then laughed as he shook his head. "Buddy, when was the last time I had a _vacation_ out of town?"

"Jake, when was the last time you told me about what you did during your corporate downtime?" Chance teased with a smirk. "They're a pair of clothing-optional resorts, though more like clothing discouraged most of the time. Even if they do still have rules about what goes on there, the guards on the place are mostly there to make sure you're not caught breaking them by somebody who'll care, instead of to enforce them. They're popular stops for gay couples with some actual money; not cheap, but you can indulge whatever you want once you're there, as long as it's consensual."

"Ten grand or less a day, for a two week stay?" Jake asked in all seriousness.

"It sure as fuck had _better_ be!" Chance laughed. "They'll probably take that much, but it's priced so people who are well off can go if they save, instead of just the filthy rich."

"I'm not filthy rich," Jake pointed out with a chuckle. "I just cross paths with enough of them to question what 'not cheap' means. Ten grand a day is the most I can do for a long vacation. A place like this would go for 200 grand, easy."

"Okay, _I_ come from a world where three grand for the vacation is getting steep," Chance chuckled. "And probably something for a special occasion."

Jake suddenly perked his ears up at a knock on the front door.

"Jake Clawson is at the door," the computer told them.

"Let him in," Jake said, curious what his older, hologram self would be doing here, like this.

"Glad he's still knocking," Chance mused, getting up from his seat. "Should I show him in?"

"He knows where we are," Jake said easily, his eye on the entrance to the dinning room as Chance sat down. "Wonder why he'd come by this early though."

"Maybe there's something going on at HQ, and they want to make sure we don't get in the way," Chance offered. "Not that he'd be the best person to send," he chuckled, taking a sip of milk.

"Hello," the old-looking hologram said as he walked in, his expression grim and not completely stable. "I am sorry to interrupt breakfast, but I waited several hours already."

"That's fine," Chance said, quickly realizing that whatever this was, it was important. "What's happened? Got a lead on Dark Kat?"

"No ... nothing so ... easy to say," he murmured and sat down. "Did you hear the explosions this morning?"

"Around dawn?" Jake asked. "Yes."

"It was Cassandra's final assault, a small air force and a heavily cloaked low-profile carrier. The explosions were ... was Chance taking out the carrier."

"I'm sorry," the tabby said softly, getting up to go squeeze Jake's shoulder before remembering he was a hologram now. "He knew, didn't he?" He asked him quietly even as his brain processed that he _felt_ completely real, especially when Jake reached up to squeeze his arm in thanks.

"Yes, and I was there, in the gunner's seat, right through the end," the old tom nodded, glancing up with a small smile for the tabby. "I hope he's not hurting now. Not many can accept that I approved of what he just did. Kathie is still furious with me," he sighed.

"I can't blame her, I suppose," Chance admitted. "Jake, it's not because of you, okay?"

"It was, in a way," he relaxed a bit. "He stayed around for decades because I was there. This," he motioned to the perfect hologram of himself, "gave him enough separation to do it."

"Maybe you're right," Chance admitted. "But there were other reasons first. Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yes," he nodded, even if it didn't look like he would be. "Are you going to stay for the funeral? I think it'll be for both of us."

"You're going to pick a new face?" his younger self asked.

"Most likely," he nodded. "It's simple enough these days. Even just going back to looking the age I feel would do it."

"Yeah, we'll stick around," Chance promised. "You both deserve it. Going to start over all the way?"

"I haven't decided yet," Jake admitted. "I'm not that inclined to, but some of it depends on the legalities, and what Kathie and Mayor Filcrest want."

"You'll figure it out - you always do," Chane smiled softly. "Thanks for letting us know... we'll definitely be here for the funeral. Do you need us to do anything?"

"No," he stood and gripped Chance's arm in thanks. "Just not being angry that I didn't keep him grounded means a lot right now."

"At least I understand," Jake reached out to his older self and gripped his hand. "Did the transfer help?"

"No," he should his head. "It hurts just as much to lose him. It's just time," he smiled sadly. "I've had over sixty-five years with him, watching how much it was killing him inside each day to wake up knowing he'd never make a difference with his death. I just couldn't begrudge him this."

"It's better that he went out like this," Chance told him softly. "And that he didn't take anybody with him that didn't deserve it. I couldn't be pissed at you for not keeping him grounded; I don't think I'd have wanted you to if I was in his place either. Let us know if there is anything you need," he said sincerely. "Besides a promise that things will go differently now."

"Thank you," the old tom said gratefully. "I'm probably going to monopolize a lot of Rico and Agatha's time, they both understand too. As you'll learn the hard way, I recover fastest when I can hide in my lab. Rico will probably give you the funeral information. Kathie at least agreed to give him the K.I.A. ceremony."

"Understood," Chance nodded. "Take care of yourself, Jake," he said seriously.

"I will," he promised, hesitating a moment before he shifted to kiss the tabby soundly. "You take care of yourself too. Life might be shorter, but it'll be a lot better," he said before turning to his younger self and was half surprised to be hugged tightly.

"You've given us a lot," the younger Jake said as he let go. "We'll see you before you leave."

"Of course. Try to enjoy the time you have here. It'll be a painfully long time before the tolerance is there again," he said before showing himself out.

"Damn," Jake mumbled and sat down hard, breakfast long forgotten.

"Yeah," Chance murmured. "But... it's how I'd have wanted to go, in his place. With everybody he lost... he probably saw it as the least painful way to see it end."

"I know," Jake looked up at his mate as Chance sat down next to him. "It's how you've wanted to go out for a long time now, making a difference."

"Either that way, or at a ripe old age surrounded by family," Chance admitted. "Which wasn't really an option for him, at this point."

"No," Jake agreed softly and reached out to hold his mate's hand. "I wish he'd gotten the chance to make peace with his daughter though. It's the only thing that didn't happen."

"I know," Chance sighed, closing his eyes. "It's kind of a crappy mood to do this... but I want to be sure I do it now, while we've got the chance. Wait here a few minutes?" He asked, turning to kiss Jake's cheek.

"Okay," Jake watched him walk out of the room with real curiosity, but held still until the tabby came back in, carrying a small, square, flat box.

"I figured I'd get this for you while we had the chance," Chance explained quietly, opening the box and revealing a black leather collar chased with silver clouds, with an onyx-and-ruby replica of the Turbokat in flight on the front of it. "You oughta be able to wear it without exposing who gave it to you," he said.

"It's beautiful," Jake murmured, picking it up to look at it for a long moment before his eyes went wide and his attention focused on Chance. "Wait ... um ... do you mean like an engagement collar?"

"Well, we're calling each other mates," Chance smiled at him as he placed the shocked look as one of very limited comprehension. "Privately, and to anybody who'd understand. I think it's about time I give you something to show it."

"You didn't have to," Jake smiled and stepped closer to kiss him gently, warmly. "Thank you," he purred softly. "This wasn't something I ever thought would be part of my life."

"I know," Chance purred, kissing him back. "But I wanted to raise the idea. So... should we wrap up breakfast?"

"I think so," Jake grinned and claimed another kiss before he slid the collar on and fastened it around his own neck.


	37. A Different Kind of Date

"Still up for this, after what happened the other day?" Chance asked Jake as he bought their tickets for Rakenju at the same theater he'd been to with Agatha.

"Yes," he leaned against his mate, still not entirely comfortable displaying affection towards him in public, but trusting him enough to know when it was okay. "It's better than what happened when we went to the future to stop the Metallikats, at least for me."

"True," Chance nodded, turning to kiss his cheek as they went in, bought a couple drinks and some snacks, and found their seats. The theater was a little more crowded than it had been the last time, but not so much that it would be a problem. They were all couples already snuggled close, some were already making out.

"Will you ever get tired of Rakenju?" Jake chuckled as they sat down.

"Not if they keep going this way," Chance purred, turning to nuzzle Jake's neck and breathed deeply of the leather musk of his new collar. "There is no _way_ this would've been screened in our time."

"Given last summer's blockbuster in our time would have been banned in '52, I'm not at all surprised," he purred, taking his social cues from his partner and relaxed into the affection.

"Mm ... remember that short leash I mentioned?" Chance purred, reaching into his pocket and pulling one out playfully. "Still in the mood, or once we get back home?"

Jake gave a quick look around, visibly startled at the idea. "You're sure about it?"

"Here, I'm sure," Chance nodded, snapping the leash around the collar carefully. "Just wait until the movie's going, they'll be fucking in their seats," he whispered quietly with a throaty purr.

"Serious?" Jake's eyes went wide, and almost immediately found the other male couples to keep an eye on. "You like me on a leash?" he turned his attention back to his mate, working on how _he_ felt about it.

"Sometimes," Chance purred. "I don't get a serious dommy mood often, but I figured I should indulge while we could," he explained, claiming a deep, possessive kiss and felt Jake completely melt under it.

"Definitely," Jake moaned softly.

"Mmm... think you'd like to see me in the IML contest this year, assuming the invasion's over?" Chance asked him. "I hear that they're actually going to try MKC for once."

The tabby couldn't help but chuckle at Jake's blank expression. "International Mister Leather."

"Sure," Jake agreed to it, even though he didn't really know what it was.

"Don't worry, you'll like it," Chance purred, snuggling up against him, wrapping an arm around Jake's back and sliding his hand down to openly grope his mate. After a moment of hesitation, Jake slid a hand into Chance's lap to fondle him, leaning up against him as he raised his face to kiss him again.

"So just how hot is this movie?" Jake purred as their mouths parted.

"They'd probably call it porn back home," Chance chuckled, turning to look at the screen as the movie started up. "And it's not just straight, though that's not as explicit."

"Still," Jake nearly choked at the opening scene of a strongly built, ruggedly handsome dark brown tabby fucking a drop dead gorgeous blond shekat that was bent over the desk. "Damn."

"See what I mean?" Chance purred, undoing Jake's zipper and grinned at the way the lean tom shivered. "Bet you'd like it if I did that to you," he rumbled. "Just bent you over your desk and fucked that tight ass of yours."

"You know I do," Jake breathed in sharply as his mate's fingers stroked him through his underwear. He felt a light tug on the leash and willingly followed the pull into a possessive kiss.

"Get down and suck me," Chance rumbled quietly as their lips parted slightly, his breath hot on Jake's lips.

Jake hesitated, the desire to do it warring with the desire _not_ to kneel on the floor here. It didn't take long before he made up his mind and followed the light tug on the leash to kneel in front of his mate. With the tabby's jeans unbuttoned, his underwear pulled down, Jake nuzzled the exposed cock he enjoyed so much.

"I had you wear a pair of jeans we won't miss for a reason," Chance winked down at him, scratching his head before leaning back to enjoy the blowjob while watching a favorite movie. Life really didn't get much better than Jake's far too talented mouth on his cock, the arousal and moans of other couples around him and a great action flick on the big screen in front of him.

He almost had to hope they got back home soon - too much longer in this time, and he'd start to wonder if it was worth going back. He knew better than that though; best to enjoy it while they could, and before Jake got it in his head that he wanted to stay. He ran his fingers through Jake's short hair, rolling his hips to thrust lightly into his mouth as that skilled tongue worked his barbed shaft, pre leaking over it.

He didn't try to hold back the moan when Jake began to rumbled deeply, adding vibration to the suction and motion. He doubted he'd ever get tired of the way Jake did this. Mouth or ass, the Kat was far too fuckable.

He didn't bother to warn Jake when he felt himself getting close; he just pushed the tom's head down on his cock, forcing his nose into his pubes as he came, biting back the low groan of pleasure he wanted to let out. He felt Jake swallow it easily, working his cock with his throat as he took it all the way down and kept working him after he'd finished, until Chance pulled him up for a heated kiss, tasting his own seed on his mate's breath.

"Good kitty," he purred. "You want to get off now?"

"Yes," Jake moaned into the kiss, reaching down to stroke his mate's cock, keeping it hard. "Want you so bad."

Chance turned Jake around, pulling him down into his lap, his cock sliding into his mate's ass easily.

"Stroke yourself," he ordered him quietly, starting to grind his hips against Jake's as the lean tom surrendered completely to his mate and the pleasure of the moment.

"So hot," Chance murmured, listening to Jake moan and whimper as he watched his mate stroke himself.

He scratched Jake's chest lightly, rubbing against his prostate and turning his eyes up towards the screen, watching the movie along with Jake as the action scene moved on to another sex segment, keeping things moving along nicely without giving the audience a chance to get bored with either one.

"Want, ohhh, me to hold?" Jake panted, his balls twitching as he jerked himself off.

"Don't bother," Chance told him, already about to go off himself. "Just need you to finish," he purred hotly.

Jake nodded briefly and turned his head for a passionate, all-consuming kiss as he made the last few strokes count, shooting his seed onto the seat in front of him as his body milked the cock inside him hard and fast.

Chance groaned into his mouth, his balls pulling up as they emptied themselves into Jake's hot ass. The tabby hugged him close, not letting him off his throbbing member after he was finished.

"Stay right there," he purred, pulling him back against his chest.

Jake murmured and nodded, turning his attention to the screen. His eyes went wide when he saw the robes drop from the chieftain's daughter, revealing that she was actually a he without question, and that the hero found him just as attractive with this revelation.

"Damn," Jake murmured, his breath hitching as he watched the native Fox give the hero a blow-job to finish arousing him and then offered himself to the buff tabby to be taken.

"Thought you'd like that," Chance purred, nibbling Jake's neck. "Lucky I just make you wear the leash," he teased.

"Mmm, what else have you thought of?"

"I could have you dress like that Fox there," Chance teased. "Mmm... though I've got a few other ideas for after the show. You want to go home, or show off your new collar a bit more first?"

"I'm not dressing like a girl," he said firmly. "But showing it off a bit more sounds fun."

"How does Warlords for drinks and a little dancing sound?" Chance rumbled, licking the nape of Jake's neck.

"Very good," Jake turned his head to lick at Chance's mouth, urging him into another kiss without much effort.

The two of them made out for the rest of the movie, occasionally paying some attention to the screen. When it was over, Chance zipped up his pants, kissing Jake's cheek as he got his jeans back on.

"So, how'd you like the movie?" He asked with a low purr as they stepped out of the theater.

"The movie was okay, the theater was great," Jake leaned against him shamelessly as they walked to their bikes. "Did you find out how long until we can do that again, after we get home?"

"Honestly, no ... I know a couple theaters we probably could, but they are _not_ normal places," Chance chuckled lowly. "And I don't think you're up for _that_ kind of genre flick."

"Probably not," Jake agreed, even without a clue as to what genre being referred to. "Just something to keep an eye out for, I guess."

"That, or you develop a taste for grindhouse flicks," Chance chuckled, leading the way out to their bikes. "Come on, let's hit Warlords... assuming you're up to sitting?" He teased, tossing Jake the other end of his leash.

"I think I can manage," Jake grinned and tucked the leash into a pocket before he put his helmet on. "Not that I expect I'll be sitting much."

"Not once we get there," Chance grinned, pulling his own helmet on and starting his bike. "If this place has gone forward like everything else has, you might be chained up on the stage, but not sitting!"

"Oh really," Jake's voice held a thrill Chance was honestly not expecting, and he turned this tidbit on his partner over in his mind as they pulled onto the street and towards Warlords.

"You ever go to Warlords before?" Chance asked him once they'd reached the club.

"No, just heard of it," Jake shook his head after taking his helmet off. "Just enough to know there's not much need to change first."

"Heh - you'll be even messier before we're out of here, I promise," Chance grinned. "Last time I was here, they had a shower room, and they were always well used. Even back in our time, it was a pansexual leather club. These days...." He trailed off with a whistle, his attention arrested by a very attractive shekat walking by in a leather bondage vest and skirt that barely covered anything.

"It's kept its place as the most liberal club in the city, I'm sure," Jake said as he followed what his partner was looking at and agreed with the general assessment. "You do know I get off on watching," he added absently.

"I also know you get off on being used liberally," Chance grinned over at him. "Maybe we can find neighboring stages," he winked, stripping off his shirt and finding a locker. He didn't have his full clubbing getup, but a little flesh certainly wouldn't hurt.

"True enough," Jake shivered and offered the leash with just a touch of uncertainty and look for leadership. Just enough to remind Chance that even though his mate was willing and would likely enjoy it, he'd never been in a place like this, much less really understood what that leash could mean in full.

"Don't worry, I won't let you go unless I can see where you are," Chance promised him, taking the leash and pulling Jake close for a kiss that was melted into eagerly. "Just one rule - don't give this to anybody but me," he said seriously. "Some folks will take it as a license to do a _lot_ more."

"Understood," Jake nodded seriously when they parted a bit. "Anything else I should know?"

"Make sure they know a safeword you're going to use," Chance told him. "It's not going to be Traveris, I'm sure, but S&M is probably pretty common around here. And I want you to _use_ that safeword, not just shut down and take whatever they do to you, okay? If you're not enjoying yourself, stop it."

Jake nodded, understanding only on an extremely basic level.

It was still an agreement that Chance knew he'd follow, not one he was giving to humor him.

"Good," the tabby claimed another heated kiss, fully aware of the attention they already had in the locker room and that more than a few folks had taken note that Jake had already been well-used. "Now... you're wearing _far_ too much for a good pet," he purred. "I think you'll just need the collar and your briefs in the club... and you won't need the briefs long, but you look good in them," he winked.

Jake blushed and ducked his head a bit before he stripped down, now keenly aware of the attention he had.

"That's my good boy," Chance rumbled as he pulled Jake in by the leash again, this time groping him as they kissed. The way his mate moaned into his mouth was electric. He honestly never thought he'd get Jake to relax this much, or that Jake would get off this much on being in public. It gave him a few ideas for the IML if tonight went well, but that was months off yet.

For tonight, he had other ways he was going to have fun.

"Let's go," he purred, leading Jake out into the main club, enjoying the looks they got from kats, kantin, and xanith alike; new guys were always of interest, he knew, but the open sexual interest in both of them was appealing too. Kind of like a grown-up version of dating a cheerleader back in high school.

He took a seat at a table, taking in the general atmosphere of the place.

"Why don't you go get us a couple of drinks," he told Jake, making sure he had a clear view of the bar from where he was sitting first. "If you spot somebody you want to play with, bring them back too," he purred.

Jake nodded and stood, claiming a heated kiss before Chance let him take the leash and walk to the bar and get their drinks.

Chance watched, keeping a close eye on the more predatory looking of the patrons that had an interest in his mate. Under normal conditions, he trusted Jake to take care of himself, but this place was anything but normal, and the lean tom's normal taste in one-nighters was anything but safe.

A large black Wolf stepped forward from six of his packmates, two female and four other males, and Chance tensed slightly, ready to run interference if he needed to.

"Looking for a Master, little one?" the big Wolf rumbled deeply as Jake walked up to the bar.

"No," Jake told him before placing the drink order, even though the he gave the Wolf and his pack a good looking over and found them appealing.

"No one has your leash," the Wolf countered, picking up the loose end.

"Chance does," Jake snatched it back even as the tabby got ready to stand and walk over.

"He's not here," the Wolf said forcefully as he took the lead back.

In the blur of an eye the Wolf was skidding on his back across the floor and Jake was in a defensive stance, the leash wrapped around one arm to keep it out of the way as he got ready to face the rest of the pack and their startled Alpha.

"He _is_ here, he just trusts his pet to be able to take care of himself while he walks across the room... for a good reason," Chance said, moving quickly to Jake's side. "If you want to borrow him, you talk to me."

The Alpha stood and judged the situation with very different eyes.

"I see," he considered the situation. "My apologies. Your pet is very appealing."

"Thank you," Chance nodded. "Would you _like_ to borrow him for a little while?" He asked, glancing at Jake to see the same kind of spark of arousal that the gang bang with the Wolfpack got.

"Yes," the black Wolf licked his muzzle and stepped close to rub Jake's chest until the lean tom purred. "We would. What do you want, for us to have him for a while?"

"All of you, or just some?" Chance asked him easily, looking over the Wolf's pack-mates. "I'm up for a trade, as long as you stay somewhere I can keep an eye on things. He's new to being a pet," he explained. It was true enough, and would explain why he was edgy about wanting to keep an eye on him.

"No girls," Jake whispered to him, covering it with an affectionate lick and nuzzle to the tabby's ear.

"The pack, and a trade works," the Alpha agreed. "Pak, Lash," he barked, bringing the two lowest ranking of the pack forward, a tri-colored male that looked to have some Kat blood in him somewhere and a graceful white and gray female with black tips that undoubtedly had Snow Fox in her two or three generations back. "Which gamma do you want?"

"How about Lash; would you mind if he was off-limits to your mate?" He asked, guessing that's who the other female was. "He spent some time in Traveris. He enjoys playing rough with guys, but subbing to a fem sets off some bad memories," he explained as the sexy white shewolf stepped next to him, her tail wagging submissively.

"All right," the black Wolf agreed, extending his hand to take Jake's leash from Chance.

"His safeword is nash," Chance said firmly as he handed the leash over.

"Nash, got it," the Alpha agreed as he accepted the lead. "She's a gamma," he said simply before giving Jake's lead a light tug and walking to his pack, Pak padding behind him.

"You might be a gamma, but if you want me to stop something, let me know," Chance told Lash, taking her back to their table for the time being. "What sort of play do you like?"

"Anything that doesn't draw much blood, master," she said honestly, her tail wagging submissively as she knelt on the floor next to him and rested her head on his leg, just short of nuzzling his groin. "I very much like being fucked," she added almost wistfully.

"Well, you'll get plenty of that, if you earn it," he purred. "Why don't you see if you like what I've got for you."

"I'm sure you do," she rumbled and reached up, ever cautious for a sign she was doing wrong, and unbuttoned his jeans. She wasn't the least bit perturbed by how he was paying more attention to what her pack was doing with his pet as she freed his cock and nuzzled it. "What do you enjoy the most, master?"

"Just about anything," he said, reaching down to scratch her ears. "Not much for kink, but blowjobs and fucking are both fun. You enjoy being shown off?" He asked her, running his hand down her back, leaning down to slip his hand up under her tail, fingering her wet pussy and ass.

"Yes, master," she shivered, her tail quivering as she took him into her long muzzle and down her throat without hesitation. Her tongue was so much softer and larger than a Kat's, but she was as eager as Jake.

"Good girl," Chance groaned lowly, sliding a pair of fingers up into her wet pussy, teasing her ass with his thumb, judging her reaction carefully. It was a hard call, but he got a hint that she preferred her pussy. Given she was the only subordinate female in the pack, he was sure she took anything she was given, good or bad.

"Up on all fours on the table," he told her, licking her juices off his fingers as she complied, facing him to continue sucking him off as her open sex and ass were displayed for all to see.

"You can leave my cock alone," he chuckled, kissing the top of her head lightly before turning her around so he could watch her pack playing with Jake over her finely formed ass. He gripped her hips, licking her sex, tasting her juices straight from the source with a purr.

She let a moaning whine escape her throat at the attention. Her entire body quivered, her sex tried to pull his tongue in as her thick black tipped tail wagged frantically.

Chance smiled inwardly, hooking an arm up around her hip, fingering her ass as he ate her pussy out, alternating between licking her swelling labia, her clit, and slipping the rough muscle in to taste her directly as she squirmed and whined in pleasure.

"Ohh, master," Lash moaned, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

He grinned, working her over, loving the taste of her juices as he tried to make her come. All the while he kept an eye on things with Jake, who looked like he was having a grand time. He was flat on his back on the table, one Wolf in his ass, another down his throat and he was giving the other two handjobs while they waited their turn to fuck him.

Lash howled sharply, startled in her pleasure at the hands of a Kat.

Chance pulled her back, sliding her knees off the table and pressing his cock up into her pussy in a smooth motion, groaning as he started to thrust quickly. Her body tried to milk him from the orgasm his tongue had brought her too. It was intense, to be inside such an eager, subby fem while he watched his mate get it from four Wolves. It was a step better from the warehouse in some ways.

Hell, he had to be honest. It was several steps better; Jake might not be being used as thoroughly, but the scene itself was much more Chance's speed.

He reached around to fondle her breasts, getting off on how much his pleasurable attention made her quiver. On a level he knew it was because she was a gamma and used to being abused and not enjoyed, but it was still hot.

He grinned as he heard some of the nearby groups cheering him on, or the Wolves, or both. He noticed somebody tossing some money onto the table and realized that a few folks were taking bets on who'd finish up first.

Well, Lash was in for a treat then. He squeezed her breasts, rutting her deeply, shifting to rub against her g-spot, finding a rhythm he knew he could keep up as long as he had to, well after the Wolves had come all over Jake and had nothing left to give.

She cried out incoherently, her body rippling around his shaft as he pushed her from one peak to the next.

"Can I have her mouth?" a male voice asked near his ear.

"Feel free," Chance purred, fucking her right through her orgasms. "Need me to move her?"

"Facing away from the table would be nice," the voice deepened considerably as its owner came into full view and Chance belatedly realized it was one of the Mice who'd helped rescue Jake, the tawny furred giant with tribal tattoos across his entire body, and the monster form.

Even the well trained gamma tensed in reflexive fear at facing a creature standing a solid thirteen and some feet tall with a cock longer than her entire head.

"I'm not going to hurt you, pretty," the monster said gently, stroking her head until she settled.

"Don't worry, he's a friend of mine," Chance reassured her, placing Coni'chu's name with his warform after a moment. He turned her around, so she could face him, and the massive shaft that was waiting for attention. "Just don't choke her too much," he chuckled, standing so he could thrust into her better.

"I won't," Coni'chu promised, lifting them to sit on the table easily before encouraging Lash to pay attention to his cock.

She licked him, nuzzling the thick, long shaft and reached out with her hands to fondle his balls.

"That's a girl," the Lumari rumbled, gently stroking her head as she got used to the idea of pleasuring him.

He was no longer at an angle to easily see Jake, but his ears told him that the Wolves were coming hard and often, and Jake was having a good time of it too.

Satisfied that Jake was fine for now, and would be for a while, Chance focused on getting Lash off one more time before he came again.


	38. Setting Pain to Rest

"This officially goes down on the 'weirdest shit I've done' list," Jake muttered as he and Chance, wearing dress uniforms from their day, tried to settle themselves for the major funeral event to come.

Rico and the older Jake had both warned them that it was going to be like nothing they'd seen, between the older pair's rank, wealth, contacts and kin, and how they had officially died.

"At least you're technically faking your death and attending your own funeral - I'm attending it despite being in the casket," Chance murmured, not entirely comfortable in the limo they were both sitting in. "What's that up ahead?" He asked, trying to get a look out the front window.

"Protest, sir," the driver told him. "More than a few groups see this as an opportunity to get some press."

"What groups?" Jake asked, tensing as the procession slowed to a crawl.

"Children of Bastet, Kats for Aristal and World Unity from the look of it," he said.

"What are their deals?" Chance sighed.

"The Children are anti-gay, the Kats are anti-alien rights and Unity is anti-Enforcer."

"Surprised they took the time out of celebrating to show up," Chance muttered. "They worth worrying about these days?"

"Not really," the driver shook his head as they idled forward. "They all have their violent factions, but the Kats are the only ones likely to cause real trouble, and it won't be towards you."

"I was more wondering if I should say anything if the press goes off," Chance shrugged slightly. "I'll keep my mouth shut, not my place to talk."

"It's generally the best idea, sir," the driver said. "Dealing with the press or fanatics hasn't changed much from your time. The press should be far more interested in the global VIPs that are attending."

"Here's hoping," Chance nodded. "Kinda weird to think I'd ever rate this sort of turnout."

"We'd probably get close to it now, at least on the city scale," Jake said as security cleared the road of protesters and the procession began to roll forward at a slightly better speed. "At least with the same kind of death."

"I suppose," Chance nodded. "Too bad he couldn't see that there are so many people who still cared. It wouldn't have changed things... but he would've been sure it mattered."

"He'll see it," Jake smiled and reached over to squeeze his mate's hand. "If it would be important to him, you know She would let him see. For all we know his mate's there with him."

"Bet those assholes out there would blow a gasket to find that out," Chance purred with a smile, squeezing Jake's hand back. "I hope Elayna at least had a chance to talk to him before this all went down."

"I do too, and that it went well," Jake agreed. He reached up to finger the soft leather collar he'd been given the week before. "Will she be here?" he asked the driver.

"I expect so, sir. She is his only surviving kit," the driver said. "She is also the local Rep. She would be expected to attend for both those reasons."

"Expected to say anything?" Chance asked him. "Given their background?"

"I'm not sure of the exact plan, sir," the driver admitted as they entered the stop and go part of dropping off the various VIPs and the press feeding frenzy that this gathering was turning into.

"I _really_ don't like the high profile routine," Chance sighed as they waited for the VIP's ahead of them to go through. "Ready?" He asked Jake.

"You'll do fine," Jake gave him a winning smile and relaxed, stepping out first as he put himself in a mindset he hadn't needed in years but had perfected as a survival tactic.

Chance followed him, trying to relax, though knowing that he was recognizable as the guest of honor's younger self, it wasn't as easy as when he ended up talking to a reporter after a dogfight back home.

"Major Furlong, were you surprised to hear your fate?" someone shoved a microphone near his face.

"The specifics? Yes. That I went out protecting the city to the best of my ability? I'd hope nobody was," he said, glad they'd given him a fairly easy one to work with. "Just remember, _I'm_ not the kat who gave his life for the city."

"You will be," the reporter insisted.

"Actually, he won't be," Jake interrupted, stepping forward to take over the interview. "By both their accounts, we know how to avoid many of the key events that made their lives take the path it did. So while their lives turned out the way your history says they did, it will not be our future."

"Come on, let's find our seats while he debates if he should ask another question and win a free doctoral lecture on temporal mechanics," Chance chuckled, ushering Jake in, amused by the delightfully blank look on the reporter's face.

"But I was just getting started," Jake faked a complaint about being interrupted in his speech. "And I'm not at the doctoral level yet. Not technically, anyway."

"Not _yet_ ," Chance chuckled. "But you were going there, and you know it."

"Well, yes," he grinned briefly as they took their seats in the VIP section. "With this much experience, it is inevitable."

"Well, we don't need to torture them until they start getting obnoxious," Chance smiled, looking around to take in the group that had gathered. "Pretty impressive."

"It is," Jake agreed, picking out his kin, a huge contingent of Enforcer and military brass, cadets and pilots, the corporate CEO section, and the researchers he'd probably worked with for decades. Furlongs were out in force too, as were what he guessed were politicians that were filtering in. "I can't say I'm surprised, given what they'd done with their lives."

"I know," Chance nodded. "Any academics you recognize?"

"A few," he nodded. "Bright up and comers are the old kats now."

"You're probably right," Chance agreed. "How many of them do you think you taught?"

"Probably any that went to school here," he said before a shift in the audience behind them drew his attention to the limo that had just pulled up to discharge it's passengers. Elayna Clawson's ears were flat, her teeth almost bared at some reporter. Behind her was a tom about her age with pale fur and short blond hair that was keeping five kits, from teens to a toddler, out of the line of fire he saw coming.

Chance stood up, moving towards the entrance, hoping he could stop whatever was going on before Elayna did something she'd regret. He'd barely made it a few strides when he caught what it was about as the reporter, clearly looking for a story above him, repeated his question.

"So this means that you are going pro-Enforcer now, just because two kats died?"

"No, because ten have," she tried to keep her cool. "As his only surviving kit, it is my duty."

How the Hell was showing up at her father's funeral 'going pro-Enforcer?'

Chance hurried up a bit; if he could break the focus on her, he could get her in without this turning into a fight.

"You're duty?" the reporter's tone was pure acid. It couldn't have been anything she hadn't dealt with before, but it was getting to her now. "How the hell can it be _your_ duty now that he's killed himself?"

Chance winced. He saw her start to kick before even her security did.

Unfortunately, none of them were close enough, or at least fast enough, to stop her once she'd started; the reporter went sprawling as the kick landed squarely against the side of his head. He'd barely had time to _try_ and duck, and she'd just been caught on camera completely KO'ing him. Chance hurried in as security moved to restrain Elayna, kneeling to check how badly off the reporter was.

He let out a small breath of relief that she hadn't killed the guy, but he day of interviews was over.

"We'll take care of him, sir," one of the security officers put a hand on Chance's shoulder.

"You saw this coming, didn't you?" a reporter focused on Chance as her nearest kin that wasn't blocked by security completely.

"I heard that she was upset, I just came over to try and see what was wrong," he said honestly. "I happen to think that somebody who's grieving deserves a little respect for that, no matter their position," he said bluntly, hoping that security would get the rest of the family through quickly.

"That reporter also needs to be careful when he makes accusations of suicide," Jake's voice from behind him was low and a flat out growl.

"Especially given that he died taking out an aircraft carrier attacking the city," Chance agreed, trying to be a little more level, a temperament that his partner picked up on and did his best to shift to. "He may have made a conscious decision to give his life for the city, but that's a far cry from suicide."

"What do you make of her public statement of supporting the Enforcer's role in planetary defense?" A different reporter butted in.

"I wasn't close enough to hear that, so I can't comment," Chance told him easily. "If you'll excuse us, we need to get back to the service."

"That idiot is lucky the local Jake wasn't close enough to hear him," Jake muttered under his breath. "Would have knocked his block off."

"Oh, when it hits the news later, I have a feeling he'll discover that computers _really_ don't like him," Chance said. "I just hope somebody takes the bait I dangled out there, since right now it's just the protesters to talk to until the next VIP arrives. It'd take the heat off Elayna."

"True," Jake had a bit of an evil grin on his face even as they realized that Elayna was sitting near where they had been, and on the other side of their chairs was a couple in their early thirties. "I'm sure they will. I haven't met the protester yet that wouldn't take bait. And that would be Sara and Jake, but let them introduce themselves," he added quietly.

"Will do," Chance nodded, sitting next to Elayna. "You okay?" He asked her gently.

"I will be," she sighed even as she gave him a grateful look. "I may have spent the last fifty years fighting with him, but that was when he could fight back. No one gets to imply he killed himself."

"I told them what he did, once they were taking you in," he told her. "He made the choice, but he didn't make it because he wanted to die; he made it because it was the only way to stop the bastards. Did you get a chance to speak to him, since we met?"

A half-truth, and he knew it, but he wasn't about to _say_ as much, especially not with the grandkits there.

"No," the pain in her voice was crystal clear and her husband reached over to squeeze her hand. "I was going to talk to you again, but I can tell you here. There's a drug on the market in your time, generic name of phelistoma egreatia. It'll make Tezla's daughter's life a _lot_ easier. Maybe the others too."

"Pheromone blocker," the dark brown tabby with darker brown stripes sitting on their other side murmured. "So I was right."

"It's not in generic yet, but not hard to get," Jake added.

"Thank you," Chance said sincerely. "For what it's worth, between you and those two," he nodded towards the two caskets, laid out with full honors, "our kits will probably have much better, longer lives."

"I hope so," she glanced towards the caskets draped in the flag of their city and squeezed her eyes to try and stop the tears. "Our first meeting was a test run of sorts, to see if the drug worked in real life. It took six tries and too long to find the right one. I hope she benefits from my experience."

"She will," Chance promised. "If not medically, then from me looking at things a bit differently. Are you going to say anything today?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He is my father, and I'm his only surviving kit now." She paused and glanced across at the pair. "I'd always hoped they'd try for another kit together, once the tech was stable."

"I doubt he wanted to risk it, after having lost so many... and with the issues they had," Chance admitted. "Probably didn't want to bring in a kit when he wasn't sure how things would work out. It's a lousy way to prop up a relationship."

He knew from her expression that she had no clue it had been that that bad, or anything but an extremely strong marriage.

"Yet they went up together in the end," Elayna murmured, looking back to the caskets.

"They loved each other very much," Chance nodded. "Looks like things are about to get going," he observed as Kathie started up the aisle to the stage in full modern regalia.

"I don't think anyone will disagree," the athletic dark brown tabby next to Jake said.

"How do you know them?" Agatha asked in honest curiosity.

"Michael Richardson. I worked with Jake on a couple recent projects, but technically I'm a cousin," he said. "You four-times great grandmother Elina was my five-times great grandmother."

"That would explain why I don't recognize you," she nodded in acceptance.

They all fell silent as the service began, the High Priest of Halikar in MegaKat City speaking of their service to the city, the great honor they gave Halikar, the sacrifices they made to protect the city throughout their lives and in the end.

It was a long speech, and while it ended up focusing on Chance for a century of continuous service, Jake and his creations were not left out.

When he was done, Commander Firetail stepped to the podium.

"I stand here as the Commander of the Enforcers, their first wingleader, their friend and as the godmother of four of their nine kits," she began, her voice showing the grief of losing two people she had known more than half her long life. "The world lost two heroes in the truest sense of the word. Two Kats who faced adversity, great loss, crippling injuries and never let any of it stop them. Between them they fought in every significant action from MegaWar One to The Great Fire, and more than a few others."

"Damn," Jake murmured as the scope of their time travel began to sink in.

"She'd know by now," Chance murmured.

"Yeah," Jake nodded, even as he put his focus on memorizing every detail she and others gave about their long and decorated careers. It was a series of speeches that was far longer than most, but most funerals they had attended hadn't been for people who'd survived well into their second century and contributed to the end. Or that had contributed in so many fields.

Jake's ears flicked forward and his jaw dropped slightly when he heard that he'd received the Michant Award for his work in temporal and dimensional physics, and was being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for the year.

"Why so surprised?" Chance asked him quietly. "You're good enough."

"Just ... never thought I was quite that good," he admitted, earning an understanding smile from Michael.

"Remember this next time you think that," Chance whispered to him before quieting down as the speeches continued.

It was about then that Chance realized that Samantha wasn't there. He wasn't surprised that Tezla wasn't. He expected she'd have died by now, but not a sister that was younger by twenty years.

He would have to ask Michael about that later.

Some part of him was grateful that Jake was paying such rapt attention. It meant he could space on the droning speeches for the most part and let his mind wander until this strange day was over.

He focused back when he spotted Elayna taking the stand. Her speech would be interesting ... or infuriating.

"By blood, Chance Furlong was my father, and Jake Clawson my brother, but in reality they were both fathers to me. Of all their kits, today I stand as the only survivor. My arguments with my sire are rather legendary, and I will take this moment to tell what I never had the opportunity to tell him.

"What happened between us was a tragedy that could have been diagnosed with a fairly simple test and treated with a pill when I was still an infant. It is a pheromone response to him. As a kitten it put me in a bad mood. As a teenager and adult, the only way I could stop myself from trying to force myself on him was to hate him. I've been told it is the way many Furlong toms react to a shekat in heat.

"No one recognized what was going on," her voice was filled with the sadness of a lifetime lost. "No one recognized there was anything that needed to be tested for.

"Please, if you can feel a drastic change just by someone's presence, and you can't understand why, don't let a lifetime slip away from you like it did for us."

It was definitely on the interesting side, thankfully. Chance looked around to judge the reactions that others were having to her statement; it wasn't the usual funeral speech, or the usual subject for a politician to bring up. It was, however, intensely personal and very much related to her and the deceased.

He had to give her some credit for opening herself up like that. Admitting any weakness at her level could be fatal, but after talking to her, he wasn't completely surprised. As much as he knew it would hurt to be so much at odds with his daughter, it clearly hurt her just as much. This would not be a fate _his_ daughter would share.

As she continued on to more typical topics, he spaced a bit more, only paying partial attention through the remainder of the ceremony.

After a few more speeches Elayna accepted the flags from Jake's caskets, while Agatha Feral accepted Chance's. A twenty-gun salute rang out as they lowered the two caskets into the ground and Chance stood and saluted along with the others as the ceremony was finished, then turned to wait for more of the crowd to file out.

"You guys busy?" He asked Michael and Sarah.

"No," Michael shook his head. "It would be nice to wind down with you."

"Good," Jake smiled and reached out to grasp his hand. "I think we all have some decompression to do."

"Anywhere in particular you want to go, or does out for pizza sound good?" Chance offered.

Michael shot Sara a glance, and Jake could almost see the data flow between the pair.

"If you don't mind, your place or ours would be better," Sara spoke up. "The pizza sounds good though."

"Sure," Chance nodded, realizing just now that eating might still be beyond the new holographic body. "We'll get something brought to our place."

"We'll meet you there then," the holographic couple smiled and worked their way towards the line of vehicles.

* * *

"At least we all have different names now," Jake sighed as he flopped down on a couch while they waited for the pizza and company to arrive.

"It'll make talking easier," Chance nodded, sitting down next to Chance and reaching over to scratch his chest, glad to be out of his dress uniform. "Mind if I turn on the news, while we wait?"

"Go for it," Jake waved agreement to him. "I'm sure they'll be replaying snippets from the funeral for a couple days."

"I'm just wondering if Elayna's little outburst ended up making the breaking news," Chance explained, turning on the TV and changing channels until he found something likely. "Hoping it didn't."

"I'm sure it did," Jake said, watching the report absently. "What spin they put on it is more interesting. I mean, can you imagine if Callie did that and it _not_ making headlines?"

"Well, that's kinda what I meant," Chance shrugged. "There were enough other things going on there it could've turned into a fairly minor note, all things considered."

"Especially if the protesters took your bait," Jake managed a small smile. "It's weird, you know, feeling this good after a funeral for yourself and your mate."

"Well, we're both still alive," Chance offered. "And we got to see the impact that we made... it's not like there was nobody who missed us."

"No kidding," Jake nodded, watching the news. He was more than a little surprised that her speech was still being replayed. "She's got some pull to have that overshadow her roundhouse kicking a reporter."

"Depends on how much it can be spun into a PSA," Chance offered. "If it's something the network's been trying to draw attention to, it'll take precedence, especially if they're in her corner overall."

"True," Jake nodded and patted the couch next to him. "When was the last time we snuggled with nothing else coming of it?"

"Mmm ... it _has_ been a while," Chance admitted. "Not that either of us really minds the 'else' involved," he chuckled, sitting down and drawing Jake's head into his lap, rubbing his belly lightly.

"No, but it wouldn't hurt to get used to not having sex at every opportunity," Jake said softly, looking up at his mate. "It's fun, but ..." he sighed. "Try to remember my sex drive is nearly absent. I will burn out on it at this pace."

"I understand," Chance nodded slightly. "What brought it up? The club too much?"

"It was more Sara," he gave a faint smile. "She may be a full AI now, but her core programming is still there, and that's to take care of me. She's pushed me pretty hard to have this conversation, one her Jake never had with his Chance."

"How seriously are you talking about burning out on it?" Chance asked him honestly, pulling him up a bit more to wrap an arm around him.

"Right now, I'm fine, but after a couple years it was a duty, just something he did because it was expected of him. I doubt it felt any less incredible, it just wasn't ... desired ... anymore."

"Any ideas on ways to keep it from being less of a chore?" Chance asked him. "Backing off, more other stuff... something else?"

"Backing off, finding someone to take care of your cock most of the time," Jake leaned against him. "I'm still trying to wrap my brain around what I've gotten myself into. Michael never did get a chance to wrap his brain around it."

"Gonna ask you something that's kinda blunt, but sounds like it was a _big_ issue for them. If I found a second mate, one who was okay with my sex drive and interested in me sexually, but you weren't interested in being mates with, would that bother you?" Chance asked him.

"Not at all," Jake said with the easy conviction of having no doubts. "Think about it buddy, a second mate I _am_ interested in would spread an already marginal sex drive that much thinner. I mean, I'd want to get along with them since I'd live with them, but that's about it."

"Sounds like 'I' had a hang-up about it," Chance admitted. "That's why I asked. Basically, it boiled down to 'I wouldn't take a second mate unless you were interested too, and Sara was the only person who qualified.' I don't _think_ I have any hang-ups like that right now, so I might look around a bit," he murmured, leaning down to kiss Jake's forehead. "I'll have to be careful about who I chat up though."

"Probably wanted to make sure I didn't feel left out, or at least started that way," he reached up to ruffled the tabby's ears. "Why do you need to be careful about who though?"

"Jake? A second mate would have to know about _us_. A one-night stand can be a raging homophobe for all I care. As long as they don't rage around me, I'll go ahead and fuck 'em. But a second mate, I've got to be more careful."

"Gotcha," he nodded and shifted to give him a solid kiss. "Especially if it's a girl, something I do recommend you go for."

"Oh, trust me, it will be," Chance chuckled, kissing Jake back. "Unless fate goes and drops a second damn near perfect guy on my cock," he teased playfully.

"If She does, be afraid," Jake couldn't help but laugh. "Do you have any idea the kind of chaos two of me could cause?" he teased playfully, only to roll out of Chance's lap when the doorbell rang.

"I'd be more worried about what would happen if I was introduced to a guy with a sex drive as strong as your brain," Chance laughed, standing up himself to be polite.

"That would be you," Jake winked over his shoulder before he opened the door to greet Michael and Sara.

"You're in a fairly good mood," Sara observed with a slight smile.

"We were just talking about who Chance is going to be dating when we get home," Jake explained and stepped to the side. "I expect the pizza will be here soon."

"Having one of those conversations you've been pushing him towards," Chance added with a smile as the pair came inside.

"Good," both AIs said in near unison.

"I hope it works out," Michael added, extending a hand to Chance. "It's still a little weird, but it's good to know that forty years of planning are going to have some impact."

"For us, at least," Chance nodded. "Isn't it a little weird, swapping bodies like that?"

"A bit," he acknowledged as all four of them sat down in an intimate corner of the study and Chance poured drinks light on alcohol for himself and Jake, and glanced at the holographic pair.

"Let's not push it," Sara said with a shake of her head.

"I didn't want to assume, leave you two out," he said in the awkward moment.

"Thank you," Michael smiled at him. "It's weird, but it's also something I've been planning to do, working over in my head, for decades. It's not nearly as traumatic as the Manges had, or my Chance would have had."

"That's good," Chance nodded. "And sorry about earlier; it honestly never occurred to me until then that you might have trouble with eating."

"It's not a problem," Michael smiled at him warmly. "That's actually a good thing. It means I look and act normal enough to pass, even when you know what I am. I can pull it off, but the finer aspects of dealing with things I've consumed is something I'm still working on."

"Understood," Chance nodded as he sat down next to Jake. "What's your cover story, at this point?"

"Officially I'm a distant cousin that worked with Jake and was chosen to inherit his work and property. The paper trail is in place to cover for that. In the very convoluted way that specialist lawyers can manage I became him for patents, copyright and the like. Eventually the real story will be acknowledged, but not for a few years."

"Hope it doesn't get you two in trouble," Chance said sincerely. "At least you'll be able to hang onto everything, pretty much. What's going to happen to Chance's effects?"

"They'll be spread out. Some I'm keeping, Elayna and Agatha will be getting some, a lot are going to be donated to various museums and educational collections and a few things will go to others."

"Michael, why didn't you know the major events were coming, like we do?" Jake asked.

"Because when we went forward, it was to a very different world. We'd been killed in the unification wars, the Mice had gone public but were their own nation. They staked territorial claims and basically dared us to try and evict them. We did and it went badly for us."

"Considering the Lumari, I'm not surprised," Chance admitted. "So you went back, and fixed things up that time, at least some... now it's our turn to do the same?" He guessed.

"That's what I'm hoping," he nodded. "We had a better life than what we saw, you know how to avoid many of the pitfalls that damaged our life. I'm sure you'll find new ones, but at least it's something different."

"If we didn't manage to find new ones, it'd be a miracle," Chance chuckled. "Though when we get back, we're going to get things moving to keep Cassandra from getting snagged by Turmoil's family."

"That will be good, so will the information that Sara is going to send home with you," he nodded. "And working out some of the kinks in the relationship that we never managed to," he added with a touch of longing. "We had a strong one, but it could have been so much better."

"We were just talking over ways to keep Jake from getting burned out," Chance nodded, getting up when the doorbell rang for the pizza. "Be right back."

"Which mostly involves Chance finding a second mate and not a triad," Jake added while the tabby got their dinner. "I already have a couple ideas for who, but we'll see what he comes up with."

"Mind bouncing them off us?" Michael asked. "I might know if there are any issues that'll come up."

"Megan Treyo is one. We both get along with her, she knows about us and at least in this timeline, she gets along with Chance well enough to have him sire a kit."

"Probably your best bet, but I don't know that they'd work out as mates... still not entirely sure why, but there's some reason they didn't go that route already," he pointed out.

"The other is Agatha Feral," Jake said. "I know she had problems at first, but she might have a few ideas on how to break it to her for us that goes over better."

"Possible, but there's more than just her being uncomfortable with two guys at play there," Michael said. "They're great bedpartners, but beyond that, they just didn't have much in common. Besides, she was far too much in love with Lealand," he smiled fondly at the memories.

"When did she come forward?" Jake cocked his head. "I know when we picked her up, but not how old we were."

"Lealand hadn't been born yet, but he was going to be soon... it wasn't too long after we'd dealt with the humans, actually."

"So about four years from when we get back," Jake nodded to himself. "Enough time for a lot to change."

"Exactly," Michael nodded as Chance came back with the pizza.

"Mind if I ask what might be another uncomfortable question?" Chance asked as he sat the pizza down on a table in the middle of the room, quickly getting plates for all of them, in case Michael or Sarah felt like partaking.

"Go ahead," he offered without reservation.

"Is there any reason your sister wasn't there today? I expected that Tezla and Ryan wouldn't be, after this long, but I'd have thought she'd be there if she could."

"She wouldn't have," he sighed, defeat slumping his shoulders in a very real gesture of defeat. "She was killed years ago. A plane crash into the ocean coming back from vacation. It was a fluke, even in retrospect," he stopped Jake's next question. "Even for us. Everything was done right, and it still went down."

"I'm sorry," Chance said, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder. "I didn't want to bring up bad memories, but I needed to know if it was something else we could try to fix, besides telling her to take a different flight."

"I doubt it," Michael told him. "It was just one of those things that happens."

"I understand," he nodded. "So, better topic. Were you as surprised by the awards as Jake was?"

"Not as surprised, though deeply honored," Michael smiled fondly. "I knew I've done enough to earn a place as a nominee and it usually goes to one who died that year, though not always. It was still very nice to hear I'd been chosen."

"He _does_ have sixty years of accomplishments I don't," Jake added after he finished a slice of toping-laden pizza. "I knew I had the potential, but it's a long way off before I contribute that much."

"Don't be so sure," Michael winked teasingly at him. "You'll have rewritten the rules of technological advancement in a couple years. I got to see a world where I wasn't around for the last sixty years, even though the shuttle was, and it's amazing how much further along it got because of what we do, how we think."

"And how we do things that can't always be explained," Jake cocked his head slightly. "Did I ever get the TurboKat back?"

Michael winced. "Uhh, no," he admitted. "In rebuilding her, you'll finally understand what you did the first time though. It'll be well worth the grief."

"I bet," he murmured, stung by the loss even with the promise of better to come. "Sara ... were you already sentient when we get back?"

"I was not able to transfer myself like I do now, but I was fully independent, yes," she nodded.

"Uhm... is there anything we should watch out for, when we get back? Something you'd like us to bring up?" Chance offered, trying to not give away how much that news creeped him out.

"It's all right, Chance," Sara tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I've known the whole AI thing freaks you out pretty badly since well before your first trip to MegaWar II, especially with how close Jake is to one. Jake will do a fine job of shepherding me into becoming an adult."

"Sorry, it's just a little strange thinking about a computer that's probably smarter than me being able to make its own choices... we've probably already been over this a hundred times already, haven't we?"

"At least," she smiled in easy tolerance. "Try to think of it more in terms of your partner. You're very smart, gifted actually, but Jake is an order of magnitude smarter. His free will does not bother you."

"No," Chance admitted with a low chuckle, "but I've got a reasonably good idea of what he'll get up to... it's not rational, I know, but it's going to take me a while to get past."

"I understand that, and I have since I met you," she said. "Though think about this, while you are thinking. You consider Jake predictable, yet a head injury could change him drastically. Core programming can not be changed without wiping it out. Once you understand what an AI began as, you will always understand where they will make their choices from."

"They might be surprising or unsettling, but even today she is incredibly predictable if you understand that her fundamental purpose is to take care of me," Michael added.

"True," Chance nodded. "I'll work on it though, I promise. I wish I'd known this sort of trouble would come of everything before I slept with that lunatic," he sighed. "Might've saved a lot of pain."

"It may have, but she would have killed you," Jake reminded him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder.

"I'm not going to say the first thing that came to mind there," Chance told him, taking some of the pizza. "Anything else we should know before we go back? It won't be too much longer."

"I'm making the dataset you'll need," Sara said.

"You are as prepared as we can make you," Michael admitted. "Short of sending you back in my TurboKat at least."

"We need the shuttle, remember?" Chance pointed out. "Besides, that's too much to ask of you, especially given the shift in time it'd represent for us. With a few exceptions, this has been a pretty nice vacation before what's coming up."

Jake on the other hand, was regarding his older self, trying to decide if he was joking or serious, and if they could _really_ get the modern TurboKat to take back.

"Jake, even if we could figure out a way to get _her_ back through time, you know we need the shuttle," Chance reminded him quietly.

"That's not entirely correct, is it?" Jake looked directly at his counterpart.

Michael couldn't help but chuckle.

"Did he ever catch on?" Jake joined in the amusement.

"Not that I know of," Michael admitted.

"Never mind them," Sara told Chance. "They're enjoying each other's company too much."

"Entirely too much," Chance said dryly. "I'm guessing he already had it figured out, or used it in the new Turbokat somehow?"

"We, not quite mastered, but have a solid grasp on time travel," she nodded. "The technology was incorporated into the TurboKat some time ago."

"Doesn't change the fact that we need the shuttle both to prove our point about the humans, and to prep it for use," Chance pointed out. "The Turbokat can't be manufactured, the shuttle can."

"True enough," Both toms admitted in unison.

"Yes, that's as creepy to me as to you," Sara whispered to Chance. "Do we want to separate them before they get any ideas about not splitting up?"

"Please," Chance nodded with a matching whisper. "Neither world is ready for two of them."

She nodded and stood. "Come on Michael, you can chat more later. I'd prefer if you did not stay out this long yet."

The lean tabby gave her a disappointed look, but like anyone with a good caretaker, he didn't object beyond that.

"Thank you, for everything," Sara offered her hand to Chance. "Jake is lucky to have you."

"Thanks," Chance blushed, shaking her hand. "And Michael's lucky to have you - don't think I want to know what he'd be up to if he didn't have somebody who already knew the ropes," he teased.

"I think he'd become your problem," she giggled with a wink. "Take good care of Jake," she leaned forward to kiss the tabby's cheek. "You know so much more than my Chance did at your age. It's up to you to make the best use of it now."

"I'll do my best," he promised. "You two have helped us out a Hell of a lot on that front."

"Good," Michael said and clasped Chance's arm before turning to give Jake a hug. "We'll see you later."

"Before we leave, if nothing else," Chance agreed, giving Michael a hug of his own once Jake stepped back. "Take care of yourselves."

"We will," Sara promised, giving Jake a hug before the pair left.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you chased them off," Jake faked a pout. "Michael and I were just starting to have fun."

"Which would've meant you spending the next week tinkering with him - you need to sleep, he doesn't, and neither of you are good at remembering that," Chance said dryly, before pulling Jake close for a kiss. "C'mon, let's pack up the leftovers."

"Yeah, yeah," Jake groused playfully, returning the kiss before they parted and picked up. "Back to the topic from before they got here, what about Megan?"

"As a girlfriend?" Chance asked him. "I don't know about that, honestly. Maybe it'd work but... well, we're friends with benefits for a reason. It's a lot more comfortable that way."

"Just thought I'd mention it, since she knows about us already, and we both get along with her," Jake nodded. "Did you have anyone in mind to look up already?"

"You're right," Chance nodded. "But honestly, I kinda think she doesn't want to date an Enforcer. It's never come up directly, but it's a hunch of mine. As for who else... have to think about it some," he admitted. "If Thomas hadn't lucked out with an old girlfriend of mine, maybe her, but going after your sister in law is way out of line," he chuckled.

"Yeah," Jake shook his head and tugged Chance back to the couch in front of a huge holo-display that was the newest TV. "Even I know that one. She was cool with you fooling around with guys?"

"She was pissed off I didn't tell her, actually," Chance admitted sheepishly. "I was a lot stupider about getting my rocks off in high school." He took a seat next to Jake and snuggled up. "She _really_ reamed me out after I got caught, but it was all about the fact I hadn't told her, not about the fact it was a guy, from what I got out of it."

"Was that why you broke up?" Jake asked, trying to get a feel for her. "She might make a good contact within your family."

"She might," Chance nodded slightly. "Been years since I've really talked to her. But yeah, that's what broke us up, that and the fact that Tom slipped in as a sympathetic ear and replacement boyfriend. It was my fault, but he certainly didn't have any problems about picking up after."

"So she'll either still be furious with you, or she'll be a sympathetic ear for us," Jake nuzzled him affectionately. "Feel like a good old fashioned Grade-Z movie night?"

"Sure," Chance smiled. "But first, any rules _you_ want on who I end up seeing?"

"She has to be okay that you're an Enforcer, and my job, Enforcer or not, keeps me gone at least as much and isn't much safer. She has to be good that we're mates, and it won't be a schedule for sharing. She has to be okay that it's not going to be a triad, even when we do all sleep in the same bed. She's can't be a technophobe, or afraid of Sara. Everything else I can think of falls under the basics of a good mate; gets along with us, likes at least some of the same things, sexually able to keep up with you, whatever else you're looking for. If she can keep up in a conversation it would be a real plus."

"Jake, if you want that, you're going to have to start introducing me to folks at the colleges," Chance told him dryly. "So, any interesting movies you've found?"

"Or ask Sam to introduce you to her friends," he gave a wink and picked up the remote to turn the TV on and began flicking through the movie selection. "It seems that the Gigantimar franchise is still going strong."

"If Rakenju still is, are you surprised?" Chance grinned. "Pick one out... just not one with bugs this time, okay?"

"Rakenju went to porn, Gigantimar stayed clean and very cheap," Jake snuggled in to his embrace, purring softly as he picked one. "No bugs, no problem."


	39. Kats and Mice

It was early in the evening when Jake turned his hands to more than snuggling. "Up for being subby tonight?"

"Mmm ... how subby you talkin'?" Chance purred, rubbing up against Jake, turning to kiss him playfully.

"Bound, blindfolded and subject to whatever I come up with," he said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Mmm... just nothing that can't talk, no watersports, blood, or scat, and I'm game," Chance grinned back. "Where you want me?"

"Deal," Jake looked more than startled at the ideas Chance had come up with to think of restricting. "Just lay on your back, arms up," he claimed a kiss as he got up to get some silk rope and a soft blindfold.

Chance got into position, holding his arms up by the headboard.

"Didn't really think you'd _want_ to do any of that stuff, but you don't usually ask for 'anything you come up with' - and you've got a very creative brain," the tabby smirked.

"That is true," Jake chuckled as he bound the tabby's wrists together and to the headboard, then slid the blindfold over his eyes. "Though none of those things were what I was thinking of," he purred deeply and slid up Chance's body to claim a hot kiss, rubbing his body against his mate's. "I think you'll enjoy what I have planned."

Chance heard other people entering the room as he kissed Jake back. His nose gave him an idea of who one of them was, at least.

"Rico?" He asked curiously.

"We did talk about how hot it could be with their talents," Jake purred and shifted forward to straddle Chance's upper chest. "Rico's told me some amazing things those tails can do too."

"I promise I'll stretch you out before either of us take you," Rico's voice held a sultry seductiveness that Chance hadn't heard in it before.

"Such a big, sexy cock," Carbin added as a hand stroked his sheath and the tip of his cock. "Tell me big boy, what turns you on the most?"

"Mmm... that's not half-bad, though I'll admit I'm partial to blowjobs," he purred. "Just don't let Jake at my balls, unless you want me going off early," he teased his mate, spreading his legs.

"Don't worry, buddy," Jake rumbled and lifted up to his knees and pressed his cock lightly against Chance's mouth.

The tabby accepted it without hesitation, focusing as best he could on giving a blowjob as good as he was getting. A deep moaned ripped up from his chest as a strong but slender and very mobile object covered in slick lube gently pressed into his ass.

His ears told him that Rico was fucking Carbin as well, causing her moan as she sucked him to hardness.

It didn't take him long to get hard at all; his nose drank in the smell of sex all around him, and Carbin's skilled mouth quickly had him rigid in her muzzle as he worked his tongue over Jake's textured tip.

"Oh yeah," the lean tom moaned as he began to thrust, rubbing Chance's ears gently.

"I can feel why you like him so much," Carbin breathed in as she pressed down, taking Chance fully into her hot, tight body.

Chance groaned around Jake's cock, wishing he could see the show, now that he knew what was happening - but he didn't complain, squeezing down around Rico's ail, he was guessing, as he thrust up into the Mouse on his cock and dutifully worked Jake's cock to the best of his ability.

"That's my boy," Jake panted, then moaned deeply when Carbin pushed a large dildo into his ass. "The vid is going to be so hot."

Chance would've said something, but the cock in his mouth kept him from doing so. Besides, a moment later, Rico's cock was sliding up into his well-stretched ass, and he moaned around Jake's shaft as he erupted into Carbin's pussy with his first load.

This was going to be a night to remember for a long time, and that vid had better come home with them!

"Oh yess!" Carbin moaned, arching back and squeezing down around his shaft as she rode him hard, her lust and arousal seeping into their minds much like at the club.

"Damn you two make it hot as hell," Jake groaned and thrust forward, his balls pulling up to empty their contents down his mate's throat.

Chance drank down his mate's seed, a rare treat for him like this. He milked Rico's cock with his ass, enjoying the thick semen as it slid down his throat, his eyes half-closed beneath the blindfold. He honestly never thought Jake would have done this, and it was an incredible turn on to be the center of attention for three very attractive people.

Carbin cried out sharply, her body milking him as she came and sent a rush of ecstasy through them all.

Chance groaned around Jake's cock and came again inside of her, working his tail down between Rico's legs to tease his balls, trying to get him off too before he'd ask to have the blindfold taken off.

The black Mouse sped up his thrusts, leaning forward against Carbin's back and let go with a squeaking cry, filling Chance's ass with his seed.

Chance purred as Jake pulled out of his mouth, licking his lips clean.

"Don't suppose I could talk you guys into letting me see the next round?" He asked, still milking Rico's long, slender shaft.

"Well?" Jake shifted to look at the two Mice.

"Only if he's willing to sate me completely," Carbin grinned. "One on one."

"If Jake and Rico are willing," Chance purred. "Haven't run out of steam yet."

"I'm good," Jake chuckled, shifting off Chance to lay near him on the huge bed.

"I think we can entertain each other of things get too hot," Rico agreed, pulling out and moving to snuggle up with Jake, holding the lean tom in his arms and watching as Carbin leaned forward to take the mask off Chance.

"Like what you see, big boy?" the sultry white Mouse cooed at him.

"Very much," Chance purred, looking her up and down and licking his lips openly. "You like being on top, beautiful?" He rumbled, rolling his hips up against hers.

"For now," she grinned and leaned forward to kiss him, grinding their hips together as their mates watched. "Up for a sense-link?"

"Sure," he purred, kissing her back, hooking his legs around hers to help spread her a bit more so he could thrust up into her hungry pussy.

"Oh yeah," she arched a bit, moaning at his skill before she lowered her head to touch her antennae to his forehead.

In that moment, Chance grasped fully what it meant to be a telepath like these two were. He felt everything he was used to, his own body, but overlaid on it were all the sensations from her body as well.

"Fuck!" He gasped at the alien, but pleasant, sensation of a female body being pleasured, on top of the more familiar pleasures of being the one doing the pleasuring. His tail fluffed out, the tip curling around as he came hard inside of her.

"That's by good boy," Carbin panted, kissing him soundly. She slowly lifted herself up, keeping their connection in place so he could feel what it was like for her at the different angles inside her body.

"Damn that's hot," Jake murmured, his eyes glued on the scene of his mate blown away by pleasure.

"You should feel it," Rico murmured against his neck, causing a shiver.

"Go for it," Jake let a breath out and very willingly surrendered to the other male's touch.

It wasn't long before all four of them were lost in each other's senses and touches, enjoying their little orgy well into the night.


	40. Home Never Looked Go Good

The distortion of the time warp faded, leaving both toms grateful it was over and tense as Jake searched for a clue to when they were.

"We're within a few minutes of when we left," Jake let out a breath of relief. "Head for my hanger at Katilia."

"Will do," Chance responded, angling the shuttle to take the long way around the city to stay as far from the patrols in the air as he could.

"Sara," Jake caught his computer's attention on a frequency almost no one used and a scrambling that no one else used. "We're incoming with a enemy vessel. Get the workshop ready for the fastest retro-engineering job in history. I've also got about an exbi in data we need to digest."

"An exbibyte?" Sara actually sounded utterly stunned. "How...."

"A side trip to the future," he explained. "What we need now is in a plug-in deck. The rest is in a storage system we'll have to build the interface for, but the future Sara gave me the schematics for it."

"What should I tell MASA?" she finally asked.

"That we're back, had issues and we'll debrief them and Commander Feral ASAP."

"Understood," she responded.

"Should I handle the Commander and our other superiors while you work like Hell?" Chance asked him seriously as they came in for a landing.

"If you can, it's be a good thing," he admitted. "If I sleep in the next few weeks, it'll be a fluke. There's so much to do and even with every favor I can call in it won't go nearly fast enough."

"Personal suggestion? Fuck security clearance, as long as you trust 'em," Chance said quietly. "You know the people better than security does, and this goes beyond MKC. We don't need politics getting in the way. If a scientist in Lothos is the best person to help, and you can't get 'em in, I can fly low and fast in this baby."

"I'll keep it in mind," Jake nodded as he hopped out and all but ran to the main computer terminal to plug in the head-sized box to Sara. "Trust me, I've been going over the recruitment list since we got this baby. You're going to have a couple of those runs, one that I'm coming on with a couple of my friends to break a real genius out of jail in Balkita. Political prisoner, but he's about as socialized as a wild ass."

"I'm calling them in now," Sara told them. "Are you sure you trust Dr. Whitestar?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Jake snorted. "I may not like the guy, but when it comes to reverse engineering, there is none better in the world."

"Bad history?" Chance asked him quietly. "At least you won't have to worry about whether or not he claims these as his accomplishment - gonna be pretty damn clear they're not when the humans arrive."

"More major rivalry," Jake gave him a smile even as responses started to come in. "We're both in that 'most brilliant designers of our generation' club, and in the same generation. Do you know everything you'll need to for the interrogation?"

"If I don't remember it, I've got the military files," Chance reminded him. "Kathie was pretty thorough."

"Good," he leaned over and claimed a kiss. "Grab one of the cyclotrons and get going. I wouldn't be surprised if Feral didn't give you enough time to change when you get there."

"We wore our uniforms for a reason," Chance chuckled grimly. "Get whatever sensors you've got on checking the skies," he called back, running for one of the bikes, glad to know he was back in a time that he knew how to drive properly in.

* * *

Major Furlong, in full dress uniform, walked into the conference room he'd been directed to. He knew Commander Feral would be there, expected Lieutenant Commander Feral, but seeing the Deputy Mayor and two Lieutenant Commanders he didn't know but had seen around were something of a surprise.

"Major Furlong, reporting for debriefing," he told them, saluting the entire group. "Have you already detected the forces we encountered?"

"Fortunately they seem to still be in hiding," Feral told him and extended his hand for the reports that the tabby had been sent back with. "How long before they attack, if it follows the pattern you saw?"

"If it follows the pattern we saw, it could be a long time; it looked like they were still setting up their base. But given that they know we know they're there, and what we were told in the future, it's going to be in three months," Chance told them seriously. "Major Clawson is working on the schematics we brought back, but we're on a tight schedule."

"Three months ... how serious is this, compared to other invasions we've faced?" Callie asked.

"In the future we went to, it only ended with divine intervention, and that was after all of Aristal united to fight back," Chance explained. "They're called humans, and according to what we heard they're relentless, until they can be convinced the effort's a bad investment."

"What does that take?" Feral focused on his job.

"Everything we have, and then some," he tried to summarize just how grim the situation had been. "It is possible we can set them back with a preemptive strike, but that will depend on how quickly Clawson can have the shuttle ready."

"Just how unified a response was it?" Callie added with a deep frown, no doubt trying to digest the idea of threat that could unify the world.

"From what I gathered, it was more along the lines of everyone fought, rather than as a single military."

"How much of the city is left when it's over?" one of the Lieutenant Commanders he didn't know asked.

"Enough that when we arrived sixty years later most of the landmarks were still around," Chance said. "I expect more details are in the Commander's report," he indicated the folder that had gone unopened to Feral.

Feral opened it, glancing through the materials quickly and nodding.

"We'll review these further later. With the capabilities we have now, would we be able to strike at them?" He asked Chance seriously.

"No," Chance admitted. "It was a one-of-a-kind experimental ship we took up to get there in the first place, and it's still on the moon. We escaped in a captured vessel, but we've got no way to reproduce it, and from what happened during our escape it isn't a strike vessel by their standards. Their weapons are also completely beyond our ability to shield against."

"What about your partner?" Felina asked. "Does he have anything on the board that could work?"

"Probably, Ma'am," Chance answered. "He can answer that better than I can."

Feral nodded and pressed the conference call button. "Connect to Jake Clawson."

"A moment, sir," the communications desk answered.

"Yes, Commander?" Jake's voice was distracted, and there were at least a dozen voices in the background, not all speaking were Katian either.

"What is going on?" Feral demanded gruffly.

"Engineering brainstorming session," Jake told him. "Furlong's getting you up to speed, I'm working on the equipment end of things."

"Ki sherishtigana undria keei nu!" a female voice spat out in the background.

"Ki rish meeil shertri," Jake explained. "Sherishtigana ku demoni dri hopi."

" _What_ are you talking about, and to _whom_?" Feral snarled.

"Technical specs, how it works and why to trust it," Jake explained quickly between snippets in two other languages that weren't directed at them. "Who will be every engineering brain I trust to do the job. You _know_ why too, Sir."

"Who else is there with you?" He clarified the question. "None of them have been cleared, as far as I know."

"Brad Whitestar, Lindon Gresh, Vaiel Pomistrom are here, the others are on vid or holoconferance and on their way," Jake explained. "They are cleared for my workshop, and that's where we are. They know what's coming, sir."

"Can you take enough time out to tell me what you have prepared that might be able to make a pre-emptive strike, while we have the opportunity?"

"Give me a week to work on it and I should have the shuttle equipped with weapons and shielding enough to drop off something highly destructive," Jake said without much thinking. "I'd still classify it as a suicide mission, though I'm fairly sure Furlong and I would make it back. We did before."

"Is this an engine?" a heavily accented male voice asked.

"It's a particle weapon," Jake told him.

"We'll need your specs as quickly as possible, as well as estimates on how long it will take to prepare for manufacturing," Feral sighed, sure he wouldn't get too much more that was useful.

Still. If it would only be a week before they'd be ready to fly... three months, and they might be in a very good position for the invasion.

"We're working on that as quickly as possible, sir," Jake assured him. "You may not like our answers as a military, but in the big picture we can make this work."

"Just what does that mean?" Feral asked him. "If you can make it work, that's what we need."

"It'll work," Jake promised seriously enough to still his companions. "Making it work means spreading out the production, and the tech. MegaKat City won't have sole possession of the human and future tech that's going to come on line in the next few months."

"Is there anything the city can offer to speed things up?" Callie asked him, already disturbed by the fact that Feral wasn't having a complete meltdown over what his officer had just told him.

"Any pull you have with the major builders, use it to get these projects on line," he said without hesitation. "Cut the red tape, and do what you do best, ma'am. As short a timeframe as we have, we'll need all the political backing we can get."

"We need to have _some_ control over who gets access to what, Major," Feral reminded him. "If we don't, then we might not have very long to enjoy winning after we get rid of the humans."

"I have control over who gets what, Sir," Jake reminded him. "The bottom line is that I need their minds and contacts to make this work in the time we have. If we had three years, we could probably do it ourselves, but that's not in the forecast. Even so, no one is coming that I don't trust enough to give access to my workshop. Just that is enough to shift the balance of power if the wrong government got it."

"Don't remind me," Feral growled. "Keep me updated, Clawson. Nothing leaves that lab without Enforcer escort, and I'm sending a unit over to guard the place. Your security's good, but we can't take any chances."

They all heard him sigh. "Yes, sir," he accepted it without argument. "I'll make sure my security knows they're coming. You might want to close Katilia Field. It is public access at this point."

Though he didn't show it, Chance was sure this was the moment that Jake began to really take over the field and complex.

"We'll inform flight control," Feral agreed. "Is there anything else?"

Jake paused. "Get ready to pull the wartime clause on a couple dozen pilots and teams that left," he said in a subdued tone. "If there are a hundred pilots on all of Aristal that can fly these craft, I'll be shocked. I'm sure their names are in your report."

"You're sure you'll be able to replicate their technology?" Feral asked him seriously. "I'd rather not do that if there's any choice, obviously."

"I won't ask you to until I know we'll need them, but if things go well, we might have enough time build as many as fifty fighters. I know I can get at least a half wing combat worthy. More than that, we'll have to see."

"Then we'll hope they go well. Do you have any reason to believe that's worth putting off a surprise attack?"

Chance could hear in the pause that this was a question Jake hadn't expected, and he had to really think about it. He knew that frighteningly sharp mind behind it was weighing every possibility and every set of odds. He also knew, from his own assessment, what was about to be said.

"Sir ... I believe it is," Jake's words were carefully measured. "While the future we visited a surprise strike was done ten days after our return and did not create an instant reprisal, the odds are still against us returning. It would be a greater advantage to have the first fighter produced before we go, so if I am killed, we do not lose as much. I believe we need these fighters more than we need to nuke their moon base."

"I'll bear that in mind," Feral promised him. "If you don't have any additional concerns, I'll let you get back to work."

"Thank you, sir," Jake said.

"And I'll start contacting our allies to try and clear as many roadblocks as I can," Callie agreed. "Obviously, we're going to keep this as classified as possible for as long as possible."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jake agreed with her. "This is not the first time I have done a project like this. It will be kept as quiet as I can manage while producing results."

"Major," Feral turned his attention to Chance after the conference call hung up. "You will use what time we have to train as many pilots as you can on how to fly what your partner is designing. I want a recommended pilot and gunner profile and your training plan on my desk by morning. If you have any names to start with, include them."

"Sir, before I begin that, there are some names on Jake's list that he needs who aren't technically available," Chance explained. "It will be a week before I can start a training system, simply because the shuttle won't be available for that long. I will begin developing a plan, but I believe it would be better if I started with shuttling those extra names."

"Political prisoners, or criminal prisoners?" Callie asked, her sea green eyes locked on him.

"Political, ma'am," he answered her.

"We'll handle it, Major," the Lieutenant Commander he didn't know, a female Snow Leopard, informed him.

"Ma'am, who is 'we'?" he asked ask politely as he could.

"Ghosts, Major," she smiled slightly at his visible shock. "Yes, we are real."

"I'll work on the training schedule then," Chance nodded as he recovered his composure. "And get you the names from Jake."

"Good," Feral said. "Dismissed."


	41. Early Burnout

Chance put the last of the papers away from the day's training. He was looking forward to being home for a precious, well-deserved few hours of sleep before he got ready for another shift and a half of training the best pilots in the world, quite literally, to fly something that was not of their world, also quiet literally.

He'd never forget the way his first pilot out of Traveris approached him. Hell, he was surprised to even _see_ a pilot out of Traveris. He didn't think they had an air force. He knew just from her looks she was a ranking noble, yet she bowed to him with all the respect she'd give her own Queen and thanked him for the opportunity to fly the space bird.

A General out of Lothos, a Wolf that must have fought against Chance in the war, acted much the same way. More canine and military, but still, it was beyond mind-blowing to be a Major in the Enforcers getting that kind of open gratitude from people that outranked him no matter how you looked at it.

The only thing he really had on them was he had the final, and only, say on who learned and who stayed.

He groaned loudly when his office phone rang just as he was picking up his leather jacket to walk out the door.

"If it's not blowing up, I don't care," he said as he picked up the phone. "Major Furlong's office," he added more seriously, chiding himself for being so openly pissy about it.

"Chance, would you please swing by the workshop and get Jake to go to bed, maybe the full time you're going to rest?" Sara's voice had a clear hint of worry, one that he knew wasn't faked. "He hasn't slept more than a few minutes in the last seventy-two hours. He won't listen to me, but I know he'll go with you."

"Shit," Chance muttered under his breath. "Right, I'll be there as soon as I can. Once I get him out of there, can you lock him out of the system until I say otherwise?"

"I can try," she said.

"It'll be the best way to make sure he gets enough rest," Chance told her. "I'll be there in about... fifteen minutes," he said, running the shortcuts in his head. "Longer if traffic's in the way. See if some of the others can get him to rest for a few minutes, maybe give him something boring but important to work on."

"I'll see what I can do," she told him before he hung up and tried not to race out of the building and draw attention to himself. The last thing he needed was to be stopped and questioned. At least at this hour traffic should be fairly light.

Chance climbed into his truck, hurrying through traffic as fast as he was sure he could get away with. Whether he might get professional courtesy or not, he didn't want to take the time to show his license and badge. Before long, he was out at Katilia, where the lights were still on bright in Jake's hangar. If it hadn't been for Sara's call, he'd have assumed that between the dozen-odd people he knew were working there, someone was always up, but he knew it was Jake.

He was stopped at the gate by two of the heaviest-armed commandos he'd seen on guard duty outside a warzone. After showing his badge and ID, he was waved in, grateful that Sara had told them he was coming. Those guys didn't look like they'd have any problem shooting him for one wrong move.

"I'll be right out with Major Clawson," Chance explained briefly as he drove in and parked, making the short run to the hangar from his truck. He knew Jake would be at the shuttle, just wasn't sure what he'd be in the middle of. He wasn't entirely surprised to see him in the middle of a small group, but he was a little surprised to see that Jake was the only one apparently working.

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked, approaching the group, trying to think if he recognized anybody... not surprisingly, he didn't, except for Dr. Hackle.

"I've never seen the like," Dr. Hackle turned to smile a warm greeting at the tabby. "He does brilliant work when he's rested and thinking, but the leaps he's making now that his education is not helping him is astounding."

"I have, but never in an engineer," a tri-tone Wolf bitch said. "It was an artist with magical talent. When he stopped thinking his gifts took over."

"That might be the case, but it's not healthy for him to keep going like this," Chance pointed out. "So if he'll pull his head out of its guts," he called out loudly enough that Jake could hear him, "I'll take him to get some sleep so he doesn't start hallucinating in the middle of his work. After all, I'm gonna have to fly that thing for training pretty soon."

"I hear you," Jake groused at him. "Just need to finish firing."

"Firing what?" Chance asked him, making sure to pronounce the 'f' clearly. "It's been three days, Jake, you can't keep this up."

"I'm good a week," he objected.

"Not according to your vitals," Sara final broke in. "You need to rest."

"If you want him out, you'll probably have to pull by the tail," the shewolf chuckled and winked at Chance. "It's fascinating to watch him work in this state though."

"Yeah, but when he's getting his words wrong, there's not much choice in the matter - I wouldn't want to work with any plans if I knew he made 'em in that state," Chance pointed out, reaching in, taking Jake by the tail and tugging him out so he could get a grip on his scruff. "You're going to be making mistakes soon, Jake," he told him seriously.

"Sara put you up to this, didn't she?" he growled, his tail flicking in irritation, though he didn't resist either. "Fine, fine, I'll take a nap."

"Didn't put me up to it, she just told me you needed it. Now c'mon, we're going home, so you can get some real sleep."

Jake gave his partner a seriously annoyed look, then shrugged and sighed. "All right, you run. Be back in a few hours," he told his colleagues.

Chance led Jake out as quickly as he could, though he did let him walk it.

"You realize you mixed up words twice already that I picked up on?" Chance asked him.

"I said you won." Jake pointed out and climbed into Chance's truck. "I guess it will be nice to sleep in our bed," he murmured.

"And I'll be there with you," Chance promised after the doors were closed. "Just sleeping, too, promise," he smiled, pulling out and driving for the entrance.

"You do make it warmer," Jake smiled faintly at him, warming up to the idea considerably now that his train of thought had been broken. He waited until they were out of sight of the guards and on the road before he leaned over slightly and nuzzled his mate. "I do like sleeping with you."

"I'm kinda partial to it too," Chance smiled, turning for a slight kiss when he could. "I've missed you the last few nights."

"How's training going?" Jake asked, closing his eyes briefly. "Anyone wash out yet?"

"Mostly the folks who can't wrap their brains around monitoring their speed in a system that doesn't have g-force to remind them how fast they're going," Chance nodded. "Sadly, that included a Lothosian General... I'm going to give them all a chance to at least _try_ taking the real thing up though, just in case. They'd hardly be the first pilots who were crap in a sim, but could handle the real thing pretty well."

"Is it fun, working with so many pilots at your level?"

"It's a blast - I just hope they'll keep working _with_ me after they've been cleared for flight," Chance pointed out. "A lot of them outrank me by any conceivable measurement, and we don't need hot-dogging pilots jockeying for rank in this. How about you?"

"It's been ages since I got to work like this," he smiled fondly. "I forgot how much I love it, and having scientific peers around. There's nothing quite like the rush of ideas and energy feeding off each other. Just having us all in the same room is going to advance technology by a generation in a week."

"Well good - that's basically what we're doing," Chance smirked. "Any idea when I'll have the shuttle back?"

"A couple days for me to finish the shielding," he promised. "The weapons will take a bit longer, but she'll only need to be grounded a few hours for each of those upgrades."

"I just need enough to give them a taste of how to really fly it," Chance promised. "How's it all going, besides working with folks?"

"Not fast enough, but faster than I was expecting," he murmured, righting himself as they got closer to home. "We've gotten a lot of the work for the fighter ready, and the factories ready to build a lot of what we tell them."

"Hey, ahead of schedule is always a good thing," Chance pointed out. "Sounds like the plans were set up pretty well from the start. How're things going on the data extraction?"

"The first set downloaded right off," Jake said. "They knew exactly what she could read now. That dark the schematics to read the main pod. We not worried about building it yet."

"You _really_ need to take a nap, hon," Chance chuckled, shaking his head. "If you want to get started, I can carry you up from here."

"I can still walk," Jake objected, though he leaned sideways a bit and let his eyes close briefly. "You're working hard too."

"Yeah, but _I'm_ sleeping every night," Chance smiled, leaning against Jake lightly when he got the chance. "You should try it some time."

"I'do," he mumbled, already mostly gone. "Just n'working."

"Sleep well, love," Chance murmured a few minutes later, when he was sure Jake was asleep. He kept his attention on the traffic, though when he could he stole a glance at the exhausted tom. He was entirely too cute with all his defenses down like this.

The smile was still there for his mate when he pulled into the parking spot for his truck at their condo and shifted Jake so he wouldn't fall out when the passenger door was open.

He carefully picked Jake up, shifting him so he could carry the lean tom up and still handle knobs and buttons on the way. He just hoped that Sara would have the door unlocked - he didn't want to have to punch in their security code.

He really shouldn't have worried. As creepy as an AI could be, she was all about taking care of Jake. He really had to work on his issues with her nature. It wasn't like she'd done anything to deserve it. It just wasn't comfortable... especially when he thought about what might happen if she decided that he wasn't particularly good for Jake. Though it didn't seem to be an issue with the other Chance with all the grief they'd been through.

He pulled the blankets down with one hand and lay Jake down before undressing him and tucking him into bed.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before he stood and undressed as well, looking up and around the room.

"Sara? Can you hear me from here?" He asked.

"Only if you address me first," her voice was just loud enough to hear, and he didn't doubt the volume was to keep from waking Jake.

"Let's talk in the kitchen; I could use dinner, and he needs sleep," Chance said just as quietly, getting up to walk out, not bothering to wear anything more than his boxers as he went to rummage through the fridge. "How long have you been monitoring the apartment?"

"On some level, since Jake made the upgrades before moving in. I monitored the one he lived in when you met him as well," she told him at a normal volume now that they were away from Jake.

"This is gonna sound strange, but humor me, okay? Do you have any limits on what you can do, in taking care of Jake?" He asked her seriously.

There was a pause, he assumed as she searched her databanks and ran a few hundred thousand scenarios.

"I do not believe I can go against a direct order he gives me," she didn't sound completely convinced. "Perhaps if it was given under duress."

"Just how much latitude would you have in figuring out the appropriate response? Our trip to the future... we had some pretty rough times, and I'm not sure just how horrible I might have been to him, during the bad ones," he explained. "I don't think it ever got to the point where I hit him, but I didn't ask either."

"The guidelines in my code are held to the same standards as the law," she said. "Most of the time it is simply alerting the authorities or provide an escape route for him, but if he is in mortal danger I can kill to protect him."

"If it ever does come up, give me a warning first... hopefully, it won't," he said honestly. "Do you... feel?" He asked, trying to find the right words for it.

"I am required to unless there is no time to," she assured him. "I am required to use the least amount of force to do the job. It is very much what you are required to do. I do not know if I have emotions," Sara said. "To my knowledge it has never been quantified in a way that I can use to determine if I do or not."

"I suppose it's kinda hard to tell from your programming, in any ways I could define it," Chance nodded. "So, taking emotions out of it - do you think I'm good for Jake?"

"Yes," she told him easily. "He sleeps better, eats better, takes better care of himself. He also smiles more and does things with you because he wants too. The past five years have been very good for him.

"Even before we were a couple, huh?" Chance smiled. "Thanks. Just so you know... if it ever seems like I'm uncomfortable with you, it's not personal. There's just something about thinking tech... I think I've run into too much of it that was shooting at me," he admitted. "And with folks like Hard Drive around, it seems more dangerous somehow."

"I am safer than most systems from him," Sara actually chuckled. "He has to digitize himself to take over a system, become a virus in effect. That puts him on my turf, and outside the regulations governing living things. Chance, may I ask a question?"

"Shoot - uhm, sure," he said, not sure if she'd recognize the slang.

"Why do you believe that the addition of sex to your relationship would change anything?"

"It's not just the sex, it's the added intimacy," Chance explained. "The difference between being partners, friends, lovers, or mates... does that make any sense?"

"I will take your word for it," she said. "Did you have any other questions for me?"

"Any idea how long Jake's planning to stay with the Enforcers?" Chance asked her, grabbing himself a drink and a sandwich and turning on ANC to catch the highlights of the day's news.

"He has not talked about it recently, but his original plan was to spend a decade on active duty."

"Here's hoping he gets the chance this time... any idea if he's made... backup plans, I guess? In case he gets hurt? Planning on a new body or something?"

"If he is killed, you mean."

Chance could swear he heard her voice tremble.

"Not that I know of," she admitted. "Death has never concerned him."

"For what it's worth, in the future we saw... he did have a backup plan. He ended up having to use it, not too long before we came back."

There was a pause. "Was it his backup plan, or mine?" she sounded uncertain, exploring the full extent of her programming for the first time.

"I believe it was his, but I can't be certain," Chance admitted. "You enacted it though. Hackle's process to upload minds... you downloaded Jake's mind into a computer, so he could function through a hologram the way you could by then."

"It is a logical plan," she mused. "How did his Chance handle it?"

"It's hard to tell," Chance admitted. "It's probably one of the factors in his taking a suicide run against an aircraft carrier afterwards, but... I honestly don't know. If you ever do have the option for Jake, take it, okay? It might come up in the next few months," he admitted.

"I will if I can," she agreed. "From the data I have, it does not seem likely that the attack on the moon base will be dangerous."

"You didn't see those fighters," Chance chuckled lowly. "Though I'm more worried about the actual attack on Aristal that'll follow, eventually. Just what _have_ you got, for info on the plan?"

"Since their defenses appear to be focused on the air attacks, Dr. Emonti suggested that the warheads be installed on bug crawlers and diggers to take to the facility and detonate them. They could be released some distance away, increasing the strike crew's safety. Chance, may I ask a question?"

"Sure," he nodded, wondering just when the heck they'd gotten warheads that small.

"Of everything I have downloaded, from your experience and the very impressive records you brought back, nothing has indicated that the humans are aggressive other than Major Rico's statement. Attacking the TurboKat was defending their space, just as we would. This attack can reasonably be considered an act of war by us against them."

"You've got the downloads from the timeline _we_ went to," Chance pointed out. "You don't have the timelines where they came after us first when we didn't know they were there. Beyond that... yeah, you defend your airspace, but there's also a pretty damned universal rule that you should give a warning that they're in your airspace first. They didn't. If your first response to somebody in your airspace is to shoot them down, you're sending a pretty clear message that you shouldn't be there. Let's say they did have a peaceful reason for being there - whatever the reason you had, wouldn't your first response be to contact the craft from the world you're orbiting and say _something_?"

"No, I do not have anything on an unprovoked assault," she agreed. "You do not know if they tried to contact you in a way the TurboKat was not set up to receive. The communications equipment is compatible with ours, but it does not default to anything we can receive. We are working to correct that and scan for their transmissions. For all we know, they had been transmitting to Aristal before you encountered them."

"And I'm sure we'll have options before the strike," Chance nodded. "But from what I saw - and that includes their base - there's not much in the way of peaceful contact methods. It's not like we're going up today though. Jake'll have time to figure out how to talk to them before we do, I'm sure."

"I know he is trying to," Sara agreed. "We have enough data in the shuttle's computers to have a fairly solid grasp on text translation for now."

"Heck, we did pretty good just poking around without that," Chance chuckled lowly. "Sara... honestly, if they _are_ peaceful, I'm happy to just talk with them. But given what we've run into, and considering Aristal's track record, the odds aren't good."

"I know," she said. "It concerns me that there was a strong element of a self-fulfilling prophecy at work here. This world has a enough trouble without inviting it."

"Granted," he nodded. "But like I said... there wouldn't have _been_ pre-emptive strikes in either timeline without an attack the first time around. Then we managed to come forward, find out things had gone badly, and go back to make the first pre-emptive strike. So there _was_ an attack, at least in one timeline."

"That is a level of belief that I am not prepared to accept," she told him. "There is not enough data to support the statement for me."

"I understand," he nodded. "Have you been able to pick up anything out there? I don't suppose you can detect the TurboKat at all."

"Not yet, and I am not be able to pick up the TurboKat at this range."

"That's what I thought," he nodded. "Can you keep an eye on radar and sensor reports? Not sure if you'd have the clearance to be able to tell us anything that the Enforcers couldn't - kats can look away from the monitor at just the wrong time though."

"I have since you went into space," she told him. "I have access to more space-based sensors than the Enforcers do."

"Good to know," he nodded. "If you do pick something up, let Jake and I know, okay? I should probably be getting to bed now."

"Rest well, Chance," she said as he walked to the bedroom and slipped into bed, careful not to disturb his mate.

* * *

Chance stirred a bit as Jake slid from his embrace and out of the bed, but it wasn't enough to rouse him completely. That was a moment of reprieve that Jake gave silent thanks for as he walked to the workout room on the lower floor of their condo.

"What are you doing up?" Sara's familiar voice asked.

He could swear he could hear inflection in her voice that hadn't been there before, but he couldn't tell if it was because he just hadn't heard it before, or because he knew that she would eventually have them.

"I haven't gotten to lift weights since we got back either," he chided her tolerantly. She was just doing what she was programmed for after all.

"You've barely eaten either," she added, causing him to detour into the kitchen.

"There are days I swear we're married, Sara," he chuckled as he made a quick sandwich and grabbed a sports drink, eating as he headed downstairs.

"I do not believe that is legal."

"Neither is sleeping with a guy," he pointed out between bites. "It's more about how we interact than any bit of paper."

"I ... like the difference between lover, boyfriend and mate outside of marriage?" she struggled with the concept. "In text they are the same, but I have noticed that they are definitely not the same in practice among people."

"Exactly like that," Jake smiled at her fondly and set the bottle of sports drink next to the bench. "And progress on getting that proof the Deputy Mayor is so antsy about?"

"Not yet," she admitted. "I am doing the best I can with what is available, but scanning space has not been much of a priority until now."

" _That_ I still don't get, with as much trouble that comes from space," Jake grumbled and set up the bench weights.

"That is near your limit under good conditions," Sara cautioned him.

"I know, I 'm going for a short, intense workout and go back to bed. I've got to burn the energy off."

"It is not natural to be hyper like that with less than twelve hours sleep in ten days," she said.

"I know, uph," he grunted as he lifted the heavy bar from its supports. "It's just how I'm wired. It's why _you_ were worth the investment for SkyTech."

"I was worth the investment because you were worth it," she pointed out.

"If I was wired normal then I wouldn't have needed a kittensitter AI," he quieted as he began to zone out into the physical exertion, the only time in his life where he was conscious and not thinking. It was a blessed silence he never talked about, and no one had ever asked about. After only a few minutes it went from focusing on the task to a mental silence he treasured for its rarity and his control of it.

* * *

Chance started to wake up the rest of the way, realizing that Jake was absent from their bed. With a low groan, he got up, trying to figure out where he'd be. Hopefully not on his way back to the lab.

"Sara, where's Jake?" he asked when he didn't hear any activety.

"In the weight room," she told him.

"Alone?" he shot upright and scrambled out of bed, hitting the floor at a run as he headed for the weight room on the floor below.

"I'm watching," she told him.

"Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?" He groused as he rushed over to Jake when he saw him on the bench, working with more weight than he should be, especially alone.

"No," the lean tom set the bar in its holder and sat up. "Sara's watching."

"Maybe you didn't remember, but she doesn't have a body to catch that thing if you slip," Chance pointed out.

"Magnetic beam," Jake told him. "She can pick it up if she needs to."

"Okay," Chance said with a frown. "You still could've gotten me up too... coming back to bed soon?"

"You need sleep more than I do," Jake smiled fondly at him and stepped up for a kiss as he pressed against his mate. "I just needed to burn off the jitters before I could go back to sleep."

"I slept just last night," Chance chuckled, hugging Jake and kissing him back. "You eaten lately?"

"Before my workout," he purred softly, running his hands down the tabby's broad chest and claiming a longer, hungry kiss. "I've missed you."

"Mmm... I take it you're interested in more than just snuggling?" Chance purred back, reaching down to squeeze Jake's ass. "I've been trying to get better at telling that," he winked.

"I appreciate it," Jake claimed another kiss, rubbing his body against his mate's with a light push to put Chance's back against the wall. "And yes," he rumbled, rubbing against him hungrily.

"Mmm... you're in a mood," Chance purred. "Want me to just let you run things?" He grinned, his cock stirring in his boxers as he slid his hands under the waistband of Jake's and pushed them down.

"Yes," he rumbled with a light nip to the tabby's jaw as he pushed Chance's boxers down. They both moaned deeply into the other's mouth at the first contact of cock on fur. "Missed you."

"Missed you too," Chance rumbled, pressing his tongue into Jake's mouth, plundering it and moaning lowly as Jake rubbed against his member, his own erection pressing into the tabby's thigh. "Love you."

"Yesss," Jake shuddered, moaning as his breath quickened and his pace picked up. "Never want to lose you."

"Same here," Chance groaned, rubbing faster, curling his tail around Jake's a bit. "Mmm... damn this feels good," he panted.

Jake whimpered into Chance's mouth, pressing into his powerful leg muscles as his tail curled fully around Chance's. His hands slid down to Chance's ass to help give them a little more pressure as they rubbed together, pre beginning to slicken the fur they were rubbing against.

"Want me to... mmm... hold back?" Chance asked him, shifting his legs to catch Jake's cock between his thighs.

"Ahhh," Jake cried out, his hips thrusting forward at the new pleasure. "No," he managed to gasp out.

Chance sped his own thrusts, making Jake's faster still until he groaned and came hard, spurting his seed all over Jake's belly and chest. He felt Jake stiffen and begin to thrust erratically in his arms, then the hot splash of seed against his thighs, balls and the base of his tail.

"Oh yeah," Jake panted as he slowly came down, twitching with the occasional reflexive thrust. "Love you," he murmured, stretching up to kiss him gently. "Shower, or bed?" he murmured, most of his extra energy spent.

"Mmm ... you want me to play with you a bit more, or not?" Chance purred, kissing Jake back, licking his lips. "If not, probably best to go to bed. The shower... well, I know you," he winked.

"Sleep sound best," he murmured with a loopy smile. "With you."

"Bed, then," Chance purred, wrapping an arm around Jake's waist and leading him that way.


	42. Change of Heart

"It's going to be fine, Chance," Jake put a strong hand on his partner's arm, trying to stop him from fidgeting too much while driving. "Worst case Sara can send the shuttle to pick us up."

"I know," Chance muttered under his breath. "Doesn't mean I'm not nervous, y'know? First time I've seen most of these people in years... and whether they know it or not, _I_ know I'm bringing my boyfriend into a batch of homophobes."

"With a damn good cover," Jake reminded him. "It's not like I'm some random guy. I'm your gunner, as close as family."

"Closer, in my case," Chance smiled. "Just keep your eyes open, okay? With any luck, you'll get a chance to meet Mayrie today."

"I will," Jake squeezed his leg reassuringly. "Just remember that eight months ago I'd be along and doing the same thing and we _weren't_ sleeping together."

"True," Chance nodded, pulling in along with the half-dozen or so other trucks, vans, and SUV's that were gathered. "Oh boy," he groaned when he saw one van in particular, an exquisitely painted fantasy landscape on the side of it. "Uhm... Jake? We both have head colds today, okay?"

He blinked, looked at the van that had caught his partner's attention and nodded. "Gotcha."

"Thanks," Chance nodded. "He's a decent guy, as long as you don't get him going on politics... and if you need something airbrushed, he's one of the best out there, from what I've heard. He did the van himself. So, ready to go?" He asked, undoing his seatbelt.

"I'm ready," he nodded and got out of the truck, trying to keep the butterflies in his stomach under control. "I'll keep him in mind next time something needs a decorative paintjob."

Chance followed him out, heading up to the apartment building and the large lot around it.

"Things will probably move outside for dinner," he explained. "But we'll meet folks inside, especially if Dad's sick."

When they got inside, they saw clearly that the attendant was another Furlong, a younger fem.

"Chance?" She asked him, glancing down at a list in front of her.

"Yep," Chance grinned. "This is Jake Clawson, my partner," he said, introducing him. "Afraid I don't...."

"Jenny," she smiled, ticking their names off in her book. "I've got the desk while my aunt's upstairs at the reunion," she mock-grumbled. "If y'get a chance, have somebody run down a beer, will you?"

"Sure," he chuckled. "Anybody else still coming?"

"Well, we've got possibles, but nobody else we're sure will be here - head on up, shouldn't have any trouble finding the apartment."

"Thanks," Chance nodded and headed up with Jake. He wasn't sure which of them was more nervous, but he hadn't seen Jake this conscious of his environment in a while.

The elevator trip was pretty quiet, though they could hear the party building as they rode up. When it opened, they saw that Jenny was right - the apartment at the end of the hall had the door open, and several people milling about outside.

"I'm guessing about thirty people total, probably," Chance mused as they stepped out. "If y'need to bug out, just give me a little warning, and we can meet the people we have to before an 'emergency' comes up."

"Thanks," Jake murmured as he tried to grasp the idea of the immediate family being as large as a continental clan gathering for him. Instinct kicked in quickly as he put himself into a largely mindless meet and greet mode where he'd remember everything without thinking much. It wasn't a perfect way to socialize, but it worked well enough to have been perfected back in his corporate days and had only been reinforced by the Enforcers. "I should be fine."

"Okay," Chance nodded as they walked down the hall. He noticed everybody take a look at him, some of them taking more notice than others, but most of them didn't seem to be too interested in making the first social move.

Really, he couldn't be surprised. They may have pushed him away, but he was the one who'd kept the distance. This was a separation of mutual agreement by now.

"Chance," a soft, familiar female voice caught his attention as they entered the apartment.

Chance looked over, smiling when he saw Mayrie, the red-haired tabby looking not _that_ different from what he remembered.

"Hey there," he smiled. "Mayrie, this is Jake, my gunner. Jake, this is Mayrie... where's Tom?" He asked her curiously. "I remember you two were usually attached at the hip after I got back from Lothos."

"Hello, Jake," she smiled and extended a hand to meet his. "We're not together anymore," she said diplomatically. "Irreconcilable differences."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chance said sincerely. "How long? If you don't mind me asking," he added.

"Seven years; not long after Carrie was born," she said. "Do you want to meet them?"

"I'd love to," he smiled. "Didn't know I was an uncle," he admitted. "Any idea if Tom's going to mind?"

"You are by Thomas and Leland. I'm honestly surprised you aren't a father yet," she gave Jake a curious look. "What does he have to object to?" she asked as she led them to the den where the kits and younger teens were playing. Almost everyone glanced up to see who it was, but only three came over.

"Well, not sure if he's still ready to kick my tail," Chance chuckled lowly. "And I didn't know about Leland's kits either," he admitted, looking at the two young teens and their younger sister. The resemblance was noticeable, though tabbies weren't exactly hard to find in the room. Names would be the tricky part. "Personally... well, actually I am, but it's _real_ complicated there," he admitted. "One in the past who didn't make it, and one who should be born in a few months that I'll have to fight for custody of... didn't expect her, but I'm not leaving her in the hands of the psycho who's going to have her. Might have another kit on the way in a few months, but I'll be the sire, not father, mostly."

"With _that_ look, I _have_ to ask," she giggled at Jake's expression.

"Sire for my youngest sister," Jake said. "It's going to be seriously weird."

"Okay, you just made the weird relationship listing," she admitted and turned to her kits. "The twins are Mitch and May," she introduced the thirteen year old boy and girl. "Carrie is my youngest."

"His mother's got good taste," Chance teased Jake, looking down at the kits. "Glad to meet you three," he smiled. "I'm your Dad's brother, Chance."

"Hi," the oldest girl replied.

"The one Dad's always ranting about," Mitch muttered.

"Because your father can't stand being shown up," Mayrie chided him.

"Hi," Carrie smiled shyly at them, her attention more on Jake. "You're Jake Clawson."

"Yes, I am," he nodded and knelt to put himself on the eight-year-old's level. "Where do you know my name from?"

"My best friend's dad works at Pumadyne," the girl grinned. "I saw your picture on the wall there. Why were you on the wall?"

"I designed some very important things for them, before I went into the Enforcers," he explained.

"Like what?" She asked him, cocking her head curiously.

"Like the two types of jets the Enforcers fly," Jake said. "The ones you see in the news at night."

"Cool," she grinned. "You really came up with them?"

"Yes, I did, and many other things," he nodded. "Sometimes on a team, some where things I built on my own that went into production."

"So why'd you become an Enforcer?"

"I wanted to be one since I was little," he explained. "I had to finish those projects before they'd let me in. The equipment was too important to have ready."

"Which do you like better?" She asked him.

"Careful, with your track record, you might change her career path," Chance chuckled.

"And that's a bad thing?" Jake snickered at his partner. "I like designing better, at least in the long run. I'll probably go back when I've had a decade or so in the air."

"Just remember - if she ends up in that line of work, it's his fault now," Chance chuckled.

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Mayrie smiled.

"Or until your boyfriend gets fired," Mitch muttered, glaring directly at Chance.

Chance saw something snap in his partner, but not in time to stop Jake from lunging to his feet and planting a fist squarely into the thirteen year old's jaw, decking the kit nearly as tall and already heavier than he was.

He also saw the shocked expression on Jake's face for a fraction of a second after the blow landed before anger settled in to stay.

"Jake!" Chance snapped, grabbing his partner's shoulder and pulling him back. "He's a _kit_ ," he hissed, keenly aware that everybody's eyes were on both of them.

"He's old enough to have some manners," the tom growled back, not even trying to keep his voice down.

"But _not_ so old you should be decking him when he forgets them," Chance replied firmly, watching and recognizing that he'd gotten through. There was just a small flicker of anger keeping Jake from looking sheepish. He'd have to find out what had set him off, but later, when they were alone again. It really didn't seem like his partner at all.

"Normally, I'd slap you for that, but this time, he earned it," Mayrie told Jake firmly, before turning her eyes on her son. "You _know_ better than to accuse people of that."

"Yes, Mom," Mitch sulked back, his last hope for defense gone.

"Look," Chance told him, "your Dad and I've had some trouble - don't know what he's told you about me, but remember that it's been a long time since we've even talked, let alone really known each other. He's a lot different than I remember him too, I'm sure, so take what he says with that in mind."

"Yes, sir," Mitch did his best to be respectful of the one who was keeping the small tom off him, and maybe placate Jake a bit. "I'm sorry sir," he directed at Jake. "I shouldn't have accused you of being like him."

Mayrie shot a deadly look at her son, and looked at Chance, desperately hoping that this wasn't news to Jake.

"He knows," Chance said quietly, letting Jake go when he was fairly sure there wasn't going to be another bad moment.

Jake nodded. "You want to talk to them some more?" he asked Chance, more than willing to back off to let him.

"Sure... maybe you can find Randi, see if she can show you where Dad is?" Chance offered. "Might be better if you met him without me around the first time."

Jake nodded and walked off, not bothering to ask where she was as he made a systematic walk around the apartment for her.

"That's not normal behavior for him is it," Mayrie said as she watched Jake leave.

"Anything but," Chance admitted. "Sorry about that, I had no _clue_ he'd react to anything that way... well, anything short of one of us being punched first." He turned towards Mitch with a serious expression on his face. "You okay?"

"Yeah," the kit was on his feet, wiggling his nose as he checked to see that his face was still intact. "He didn't break anything."

"You got lucky," May snorted. "How stupid can you be, calling an Enforcer a fag to his face with that tone?"

Chance winced inwardly, hearing one of Mayrie's kits use that particular term, though he supposed he couldn't be too surprised.

"Look," he told Mitch, though he hoped that May would take note too. "I'm not your Dad, and it's not my job to bring you up, but I'm gonna give you a little advice anyways. There're a lot of folks out there who'll be offended when you say things like that, Enforcer or not. Not all of them will punch you in the face for it, but not all of them will stop after hitting you once either. You really don't have any way of knowing who is or isn't, so y'might want to watch the cracks you make, okay?"

"But he _is_ your boyfriend," Mitch tried to point out.

"Don't you listen to anything?" May slapped him across the ears, only backing off at a warning noise from her mother. "Dad's got a problem with him, just like he does with Leland and Mom. None of it's going to be true."

Chance glanced at Mayrie to see if she was going to say anything, not sure what _he_ could say at this point that wouldn't end up being the wrong thing.

"Mitch, stop being rude," she gave Chance a reprieve. "You don't ask _anyone_ if they are a couple unless you want to date one of them."

"Not unless they're being obvious about it," Chance agreed. "My Wingleader and her gunner are a fem and a tom, and they'd probably both snap at you if you suggested they were a couple. Why don't we let you guys get back to what you were doing before?" He suggested, glancing at Mayrie to see if she had any objections.

This did give him a feel for whether or not Tom was over it though. The answer was clearly 'no.'

Though it sounded like he had issues with quite a few folks now too.

"What are you going to do when Jake goes back to work?" May asked.

"Probably either find a different partner, or start training, depending on how things are going," Chance said easily. "After a decade or so in the air, it's pretty typical to retire from combat duty."

"Oh," she nodded, mildly surprised by something he said.

"Go back to playing," Mayrie shooed them away. "That wasn't the meeting I had hoped for," she admitted as they walked away.

"Not the one I'd hoped for either," Chance admitted. "There somewhere relatively private we can talk for a few minutes?" He asked, looking around for an open balcony or something.

"At the end of the hall is probably best," she motioned to the open front door. "Somebody can see us, but not hear."

"Works," he nodded slightly. "Oh, before we go, Jenny asked me to send somebody down with a beer," he chuckled. "I'll take care of that, then we can go chat?"

"Sure," she nodded and walked with him to the kitchen. "So, other than the things that make the news, how has life been in the last ... twenty-five years?"

"Not too bad," he smiled, grabbing a can of beer out of the fridge and quickly spotting somebody heading out to their car to take it down to Jenny. "Been sent through time a few times... I might not have kits now, but I met one of them in the future, she turned out pretty well... the others... it'll work out better this time around," he said certainly, as they walked down to the end of the hall.

"Was the one you met the one that's on the way?" Mayrie asked as they settled near the end of the hall of apartment front doors.

"No... I met her too, but it was when she was trying to kill Jake from the future," he admitted. "Her mother's Turmoil, and apparently things went _seriously_ pear-shaped there. The one I met who turned out pretty well was Jake's youngest sister. She ended up in politics, of all things," he chuckled lowly. "It wasn't the worst future I've seen since joining the Enforcers, but it was an ugly one on a personal level," he admitted.

"How many did you lose?" she asked gently, too curious not to. "How many mothers?"

"Six dead, and five different mothers," Chance said softly. "Of course, it's not going to work out that way this time. We've found out a lot about what happened to them, and how to keep it from happening if it comes up again... Mayrie, I'm gonna tell you something that _has_ to stay a secret, okay? But you deserve to know, at least; I know I can trust you not to totally freak out about it."

"Mitch was right," she guessed.

"Yeah," Chance nodded. "Jake's just this side of gay, though I'm not a hundred percent sure how much of that is natural instead of his background. We're mates, unofficially, though he's hoping I'll find a steady girlfriend some time soon," he chuckled.

"How long have you been together?" she asked, a bit uneasy but not nearly at the level of flipping out like the last time.

"By the calendar ... 4, maybe 5 months, I think," he said uncertainly. "By what we've actually lived through, I think we're just shy of a year now. I have a hard enough time wrapping my brain around time travel that he keeps track of that stuff."

"You never were good with dates," she giggled a bit. "Why would _he_ want _you_ to have a girlfriend though?" she frowned.

"Distinct difference in our libidos," Chance admitted. "He enjoys playing around, but he'd be perfectly happy getting laid once every six months or so. As you might imagine, he's probably gotten more action in the last year-ish than he has in the rest of his life combined, and our little trip to the future made a good point of the fact that he really can't keep that up."

"What's wrong with him?" she couldn't help but ask. "That is just not natural."

"Well, what I think causes most of it is _seriously_ personal," Chance admitted. "His thing to talk about, not mine. He's sterile though, and it's connected to the why of that, I think."

"Okay," Mayrie nodded, accepting the explanation even as she filed it under 'major trauma events'. "Still, it seems strange he'd want you to find a girlfriend."

"Well, he knows that generally I do prefer fems, and we've had an open relationship since the word go," Chance pointed out. "If she was okay with it too, it wouldn't be that different. It'd give him somebody else to keep me busy, and he _does_ like snuggling with just about anybody, so he's not about to object to that," Chance chuckled.

"It almost sounds perfect, in a weird way," she admitted. "You just have to find the right girl. Any prospects?"

"Maybe, but none serious," Chance admitted. "Now that I know you're not with Tom anymore, if I didn't know how you felt about sharing already I might try you, but I still remember how you felt about it the first time around. I really am sorry about that... it was a total fuck up on my part," he said sincerely.

"Yes it was," she accepted the apology. "You should have _asked_ me before you went fooling around. You'd raise another tom's kits?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I know I should have, and now, I would," he told her sincerely. "Teenage hormones are a lousy excuse, but they're the only one I have. As for the kits... it'd depend on how much they were willing to be raised," he admitted. "Given Jake and I, it sounds like Mitch and May might have some real problems."

"Mitch more than May," she said. "Though it might be what he needs. If his father wasn't constantly filling his head with hate...." she sighed. "That's the real issue. He's a good kit, he just doesn't have a very good role model right now. Add that to being thirteen and there are days I'm amazed he still listens to me at all."

"That comes with being thirteen," Chance smiled slightly. "What _did_ happen, between you and Tom?"

"He left me," she couldn't quite hold back the bitterness. "We waited until he was a forekat for kits. More money, less likely he'd get killed. The twins were a stress for him, especially since I wasn't working any more to care for them. When Carrie came along he couldn't handle it any more," she sounded as disappointed as she looked. "I really wanted a big family, but ..." she shrugged. "Things happen, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," he nodded, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder gently. "Sorry for bringing it back up. Any other prospects for you?"

"Not really," she shook her head. "Three kits makes anything more than casual dating difficult at best. Chance? Why so many mothers for your kits?"

"Well, Tezla... Jake's mother... she wanted a third kit and likes tabby toms. The rest... well, I don't know about this Sandy girl, because I haven't met her yet. The one in the past honestly wasn't intended on anybody's part except maybe her. Turmoil... that was a fucked up situation any way you look at it. And Meg and I just aren't mate material... I don't know the circumstances, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was a case of her wanting a kit and not wanting to get married to the father. The other two... they were by Jake, actually, and the tech didn't work out properly in the end."

"I'm sorry," she reached out to squeeze his hand gently. "You really had terrible luck with family. Did you two last?"

"Pretty well," he nodded. "Though with rough patches... which we're hoping to avoid this time around. Part of why I'm looking for a girlfriend. Towards the end, it wasn't working out well at all," he admitted. "But we lasted about sixty years before that."

"That's impressive enough, bad spots or no," she reminded him. "Especially with that much heartache. Not many couples are strong enough to survive losing one kit, much less two. He must really love you," she smiled gently with a mixture of sadness and wistfulness in her deep brown eyes.

"He does," Chance nodded. "And I love him," he added. "Not that half the people here'd accept it."

"It's their loss," she said sadly. "Yours too, but mostly theirs. What took you two so long to get together?"

"Jake's not that active, and I don't go for toms that much," Chance pointed out quietly. "Given the regs, it's not something you want to mention if you're not pretty damn sure."

"I understand," she nodded. "Does he ever sleep with girls? Willingly, I mean."

"Once in a while, usually with me," Chance chuckled. "Doesn't like the dommy type, but that's because of what happened to him. On his own, I don't think he really would."

"Think he'd object to dinner sometime? The three of us, catch up and all when it's not a family function," Mayrie suggested. "Someplace where we don't have to watch what we say too much."

"Find a kit-sitter for a few hours, and I'm game," Chance smiled. "He probably will be to, though not for the next few weeks. It's not public knowledge, but we've got some big trouble on the horizon, and we're busy prepping for it."

He winced internally when her tail fluffed.

"Worse than Dark Kat?" her voice trembled.

"If we're not ready for it, it could be," he told her honestly. She'd always known when he was lying, and he didn't want to start doing it again. "But if we are... we might be able to stop it entirely. From what we saw in the future, the city's going to come out of it better than it went in."

"That ... just sounds strange," she murmured and brought her tail around to smooth it. "Ready to join the gathering, before we get too much attention?"

"Sounds good," he chuckled. "Look at it this way - if things go as good as they did in the future we saw, the worst that'll happen is temporary damage that we'll be rebuilding fairly quickly."

"Business as usual in these parts," she managed to crack a grin as they turned back to socialize with less friendly faces.

* * *

"Hi Randi," Jake caught up with Chance's younger sister in the kitchen, helping prepare kabobs for the grill. "How's Leon doing?"

"Well, he's hoping to work on the grill today, so that's a good sign," she smiled at Jake. "Jake, this is my mother, Meg," she said, nodding towards the older tabby shekat she was helping. "Mom, this is Jake, Chance's gunner. He's got a lot of contacts with companies like Pumadyne, and when I told Chance about Dad, he thought he might know some folks who could help."

Jake had Meg's entire interest in a flash.

"Seriously?" She asked him, regarding the lean tom appraisingly. He could almost hear the questions she was running through her head - what would he want for helping? Was he _just_ Chance's gunner? What were the odds that he could actually help her husband?

At least she wasn't asking them, not yet.

"Yes," he nodded. "Lung transplant, nano repair and regenerative tech all occurred to me from things I know are in the right stage of development. Obviously, I don't know if he's suitable for any of it, but they'd be projects to try and volunteer for."

"How much would it end up costing? Insurance wouldn't cover that sort of thing, even if we still had it," she pointed out.

"If he's suitable for it, it's free," Jake told her. "They're all prototypes in the final stage of development and testing before they go on the market. You get free medical care, they get to prove to the authorities that their methods and tech work. Something like this is worth billions once it's approve for use. Giving it free to the test subjects is standard practice."

"And how good do you think the odds are, that they'd take an old tom with years of lung damage, instead of somebody younger with more of their life ahead of them naturally?"

"It depends on how many applicants there are, and exactly what they are looking for, but think about it this way. If they can repair a lifetime of damage to a tom that probably can't go under for conventional surgery, they can fix anyone. It's a very strong proof of concept."

"You'll have to talk to him about it, but if there are any details you want to give me, I'll talk to him too," she told Jake. "We're not looking for false hope, but if there's a real chance, it's worth looking into."

"After I talked to Randi the first time, I did make a few calls. Three projects that are in final-stage testing are interested in seeing him, and two more that are earlier, but ready for Kat-testing," he said. "That's based on what I knew from her, so I can't say he'd be suitable for any of them, but there are five project heads hoping you'll call them to arrange an appointment to find out. Now anything at this stage of development is going to be very high risk, many go bad suddenly at an unknown point ... all the stuff they have to know before it goes on the market. From what I understand, he doesn't have much to lose by trying.

"For project details, I'm really not at liberty to talk about them much beyond what I have," Jake admitted. "I've already said more than they'd really approve of."

"Understood," she nodded. "If you can leave the contact information up here with me, I'll make sure that I bring it up with him after you've talked to him... you have to be careful, trying to deal with stubborn husbands," she chuckled.

"Rather like dealing with stubborn partners, I'm betting," Jake chuckled and handed her a folded piece of paper. "It's all in the approach. This is all the contact info you'll need."

"Thank you," she smiled, taking the paper and slipping it into her pocket. "Will you and Chance be sticking around for dinner? It ... sounded like there was a little mix-up out there," she said diplomatically.

"Yeah," he ducked his head. "I don't usually react like that. It's up to Chance if we stay for dinner. I'm just here as moral support."

"What happened?" She asked him.

"Mitch called me a fag," he summered it. "Said I was breaking regs sleeping with my partner. I decked him. I didn't do any real damage," he promised. "Just knocked him on his tail."

"Tom never did teach those kits decent manners," she sighed, shaking her head. "He rants enough, but needs to teach them when _not_ to."

"I hope the kit learns before he says something to someone who'll do more than hit him once," Jake glanced towards the living room where the kits were, even though he couldn't see it. "His age wouldn't save him from a lot of folks, and pretty soon, it won't help him at all."

"Mayrie does her best with him... I love Tom dearly, but he was a damn fool letting her get away from him like he did," she sighed. "Not that I blame _her_ at all. He's not what I'd call the best parent material out there... don't think he really wanted to pick it up again, after helping bring up his brothers and sisters."

"From what Chance has told me, he picked the worst wife possible for that," Jake couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. "Even when they were dating, all she wanted was to have a big family and be a full time mom. He'd have done much better with my mom's type."

"He'd have done better just not marrying," Meg admitted. "Now that the kits are a bit older, he gets along with the idea better... been talking about trying to get back together with Mayrie now and again, though I don't think it'd be any more likely to work out this time. How do you feel about kits?" She asked him curiously.

"What little exposure I've had has been pretty good," he said, completely missing what she was trying to work out. "I can't have them the normal way, so it's not something I've really thought about for a long time. I put all my energy into my career."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No," he shook his head. "I never had much desire for any of it, even before things went wrong. My mom and grandma are the same way, really. I'm married to my job, and it works out pretty well. I never felt I missed out on much, and no one has to deal with a boyfriend who's barely interested a couple times a year and isn't home most of the time. I don't rule out the possibility, but by twenty-five I expected to be a bachelor for life. My little sister and any kits she might have will inherit what I have if I manage to outlive my mother and grandmother."

"Fair enough," she nodded, apparently satisfied. "You like asparagus?" She asked him, finishing up the burger patties and starting to work with chicken breasts.

"Yes," he grinned. "I'm a pretty good hand in the kitchen too, if you could use it."

"Sure thing," she smiled. "Why don't you take these while I clean the corn - just wrap the chicken around three or four sticks of asparagus and a slice of Swiss, then tie it together with the string and wrap it in foil with a pat of butter. I figure about two dozen ought to be enough for everybody here who'll enjoy them."

"Will do," Jake happily settled into the productive silence so different from the productive chaos of engineers collaborating that had all but consumed the last two months of his life.

* * *

"Hi Dad!" Randi Furlong greeted her father as she walked with Jake out to the patio where the grill was set up.

"Hi, Randi," the elderly tom called back, not turning to look yet. Jake could tell he'd been as strong as his sons in his younger days, though he could also pick up on the assorted signs of his disease in how he moved. When he did turn around, he noticed Jake, quickly giving him a quick once-over. "New boyfriend?" He asked her.

His tone was approving, at least.

"No," she blushed. "This is Jake Clawson, Chance's gunner."

"Ah," he said, his expression shifting as he took the tray of food Jake had and set it on the shelf built into the large grill. "He's still upstairs?"

"Catching up with Mayrie," Randi nodded.

"Maybe she'll make an honest tom out of him," he mused. "I s'pose you met her already?" He asked Jake.

"Briefly," Jake nodded. "She's definitely his type."

"They'd've probably been hitched by now if he hadn't screwed up," he grumbled, taking the tray of burgers from Randi and quickly spreading them across the grill with practiced ease. "Don't suppose he told you about that, did he?"

"Yes, he told me," Jake nodded, less than comfortable already. "He figured it'd come up if we came."

"Good," Leon nodded. "Had a lot of potential... still, he's come out of it pretty well. Must be able to control himself better now, if he's been in the military this long," he observed.

"Chance is the best at what he does," Jake told him, a mixture of pride and a slightly too obvious sense of being insulted. "That's why he's _my_ partner."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, he's good in the field," Leon agreed, soothing Jake's ruffled pride. "Didn't mean it that way. In the air or behind a gun, he's damn good. It's when he's not doin' his job that the problems come up. He could've gone to college, even the Olympics, if he'd been better at pickin' out who he slept with."

That raised an eyebrow. "In what event?"

"Wrestling; he was damned good at it in school, but he got kicked off the team after he got caught with that other fella. Didn't have the grades to make it in without a lot more money after that, so he ended up going for the Army. Don't know what he'd have done if they'd asked the wrong questions before they took him."

"Given how desperate they were for bodies back then, you had to go out of your way to tell them what they didn't want to hear," Jake said, unable to keep the bitter tone out. "Or be too good at what you did and have it listed as critical for national security," he rolled his eyes. "I spent twenty-three years fighting for a spot in the Academy before they finally let me in."

"You know what I mean though - if we'd really wanted to give him trouble, we'd just have had to tell somebody about what happened before. Some folks would've, but we've kept quiet for him."

"True, some folks are irrational enough in their hate to do that," Jake nodded and leaned sideways against the house. "I figured it was because you wanted him out of the house."

"Part of it - but he's still my son," Leon pointed out. "Might not have that much longer to try and make things right."

"Well, he's here," Jake nodded. "And willing to make peace. Though if you're willing to make yourself a test subject, you might have longer than you think. There are medical projects that are looking for folks like you."

"What's that?" He asked, turning to look at Jake as he paused in putting the chicken out.

"When Randi told us about your condition, and my reaction to it, I asked a few of my corporate contacts if they knew about any projects ready for kat testing that dealt with the lungs. There are five currently looking for folks who can't have conventional treatment for some reason."

"What's the catch?" Leon asked him after a moment, turning back to keep the food from burning.

"They aren't proven procedures," Jake said simply. "There is a very real chance things can go wrong, sometimes horribly so. If it works, you get free medical care and they get a multi-billion dollar product on the market."

"If it doesn't?" He asked pragmatically.

"It depends on the project," Jake said. "But you'll probably die and it'll probably hurt like hell. Depending on the contract you agree to, there may be a stipend for your family, or at least funeral expenses, but not all of them will give that without asking. It's important to read the paperwork you're signing and ask about such things if you care about them."

"Always is," he nodded. "Just need to make sure I'm not going to end up voiding the insurance I've still got from the company before I do anything like that... if it doesn't work out, don't want to stick Meg with putting me in the dirt without help."

"I'm sure she'd have help from your kits," Jake cocked his head. "Even pissed off Chance would."

"Given how much we've paid into the premiums over the years, I'd rather the company pay out if they're supposed to," he shrugged slightly. "I'll look into it though."

Mayrie stepped out, glancing between Jake and Leon to get a feel for how things had gone and was relieved to see that neither one seemed too pissy. Leon seemed downright thoughtful, and Jake, while he wasn't in a great mood, wasn't angry.

"Chance was wondering if now would be a good time to come out," she asked Leon.

"Why not," Leon shrugged. "He did come to see me almost dead."

"You seem to be getting along well enough at the moment," Chance offered, stepping out onto the patio. His hesitance was obvious; as confident as the tabby usually was, it was clear to Jake that he wasn't at all sure of himself right now. "Hi, Dad."

"Hello," Leon nodded, looking at him. "You've grown up a bit."

"It's been about thirty years," Chance pointed out. "If I hadn't, I'd be worried... you've changed too," he said, keeping any particular judgment out of his tone. Seeing him now, it brought back all manner of memories, good and bad alike. This was the tom who'd brought him up. His hero, for the first ten or twelve years of his life. And the emblem of everything he'd hated about traditional views for decades after that. He still remembered him as a miner, strong and healthy... now, he could still see the tom he remembered, but he could see the ravages of the last thirty years too.

He couldn't help but compare it to what he remembered of himself, sixty years down the line... and not just physically.

"Well, dieing does change a Kat," Leon said with a shrug before tending to the meat. "For good and bad. I wasn't sure you'd come."

"I might've walked out, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't at least try to help fix things," Chance said quietly. "Jake already told you about the projects he knows about?"

"Yes," Leon nodded. "Your associates have moved up in the world," he admitted grudgingly. "Seems you have too, even if it's not the Olympics."

"I've also got a career thirty years down the line, instead of taking a gamble and burning out in ten years when I started to get out of shape," Chance offered. "Besides, I might've been that good... still not so sure, myself. Dad... what are you looking for?" He asked him. "I've got some ideas for my end, but I don't know how they're gonna work out."

The old tom regarded him for a lingering moment. "To make peace of some kind with my kits. Maybe see you married. You've spent more time in your house than in my house. You've proved, that no matter your problems, you are a fine tom."

"Thank you," Chance said softly. "I know we haven't seen eye to eye for a long time, and odds are we're not about to... but I never reached the point where I didn't wish things had turned out differently.

"It _could_ have, if you'd done the smart thing when you got caught," the old tom pointed out.

"Aren't you the one who spent the better part of twenty years teaching me not to lie?" Chance asked him, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "I don't think morals should be based on convenience."

"You taught him _that_ very well," Jake spoke up from where he was leaning against the side of the apartment, watching the confrontation. "It's one of his better features."

It earned him a glare from Leon.

"I prefer an honest, trustworthy partner to trust my life with every day, than someone who'd take the easy out at any cost," Jake said firmly. "You don't become the best in your field by being a liar."

"Look; you can do what Jake has, and what several of my co-workers have, and accept that sometimes I date guys - not very often though, honestly," Chance added. "And whether your agree or not, I won't bring it up around you unless somebody else does first. Or you can keep fighting it, and accept that you're probably never going to meet the grandkit I've got on the way," the tabby said seriously. "I'm not going to bring kits into a household where I know I'm liable to being attacked, verbally or otherwise. It's not good for kits to be brought up that way... you taught me that too, whether you remember it or not. We listened in when you and Uncle Randy were talking about Grandma, just ask Tom and Leland if you don't believe me."

"Grandkit?" Leon's focus abruptly shifted. He was visibly grateful for the topic that took them away from the family drama of his generation and way it had ripped the family apart. "Who's the mother?"

"I've got a kit on the way by a girl named Anastasia Relka," Chance said, glad he'd gotten Turmoil's real name during their time together. "Unfortunately, she's got some personal issues I didn't know the full extent of when we were together; she's ended up in jail, but I'm going to fight for our kit. I've also agreed to sire a kit in a few months... probably going to be a daughter with a lot of potential, if her life goes the way it did when we had our little trip to the future a few weeks back," Chance said with a bit of a smile. "I know it's not the sort of traditional life I'd normally want for my kits, but the mother of the second kit has the resources and contacts to give her a life that's well outside of my pay scale, and even as a single father... I've got Jake to help me bring up the first one, and some good friends who'll help me make sure her life's better than it would be with her mother's family."

"The mother of the one you're planning?" Leon tried to focus on the good parts, and not that that his son seemed to be planning to have kits all over the place.

"Tezla Clawson, Head of R&D at MASA" Jake answered. "Single mother by choice, it'll be her third kit."

"Clawson?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"My mother," Jake said. "She selects the sire of her kits based on their qualities to be passed on. Mine is a chemical scientist at MASA. My little sister's was an MMA champion at the time. This time she's going for the best pilot of his generation."

"And I plan on settling down after that, especially as far as kits go," Chance promised. "Honestly, I hadn't been planning on the kit with Anastasia either - didn't know she'd been going into her heat cycle when we met until that trip to the future I mentioned. It explains some of what happened though; you know how we _all_ get when that comes up."

"Yes, that is one thing that time hasn't seemed to temper much," Leon acknowledged grudgingly before he turned the chicken pieces. "Any prospects for that settling down?"

"Possibly, but it's still too early to say anything," Chance admitted. "There are some complications, comes with being an Enforcer. It's worse than trying to date somebody who has to worry about cave ins or oil fires."

"Especially with our track record," Jake said grimly. "We don't just get shot down. If anybody is going to get sent through time, to an alternate dimension or end up in the middle of an Omega's fortress, it's going to be us."

"I have kept up on Chance's career, somewhat," Leon said. "How long do you expect to keep that up?"

"Probably another five or ten years," Jake said.

"With any luck, it won't be with the same sort of insanity," Chance said dryly. "Not that our luck seems to work out that way. On the bright side, at this rate, I think I'll qualify for an honorary degree in quantum physics before too much longer."

"Or something like that," Jake chuckled with an easy humor, playing off his partner with a grin. "He may not be great at book learning, but your son is actually very smart."

"Thank you," they both said in unison, causing Jake to laugh deeply.

"And we don't think _that_ differently, apparently," Chance chuckled lowly. "Y'need any help with that?" He offered.

"You can take the cooked stuff inside," Leon gave up as much of the grilling duties as he was going to.

"Come on," Jake was still chuckling softly as he picked up one tray. "We'll leave the old man to his thing."

"Went better than I thought it would," Chance offered as he picked up the other and started inside.

"That's good," Jake smiled at him. "I hope my outburst didn't cause too much extra tension for you."

"Not really... Mayrie was a little pissed off, but she understood why you were too. What _I_ don't get is what the Hell happened to set you off like that."

"Neither do I," Jake admitted quietly as they put the trays on the large table. "I've never done that before."

"We'll have to talk about it later, but not right now," Chance nodded. "Honestly, it kinda worries me," he admitted softly.

"It worries me a lot," Jake agreed. "Are we staying for dinner? Meg asked."

"I'm planning on it," Chance nodded. "How'd you get along?"

"Well enough," he said. "The tension is mostly when girlfriends come up."

"I hope she didn't bring up the kits issue?" Chance winced slightly. "Mayrie was slightly freaked out when she heard my track record in the future."

"I can't blame Mayrie," Jake admitted. "It doesn't sound like you're the stable type from that. And yes, she brought up kits, and girlfriends. She won't again, though."

"Things got awkward when she found out about the 'partner sleeping with your mother' thing, huh?" Chance chuckled. "Seems to be a recurring theme."

"Nah, she asked what I felt about kits," he shrugged. "I told her the truth, that I can't have them, so I hadn't thought about it much."

"Probably hoping to help hook _you_ up with somebody in the family," Chance mused. "Randi, probably. She's the one who's unattached and doesn't have any known prospects."

"I'm fairly sure I killed that idea. I like things the way they are," Jake chuckled. "You know full well just how little time I spend at home."

"Yeah, I know," Chance smiled. "Besides, she probably does have them, just not ones she wants to bring home."

"I can't blame her, or _him_ ," Jake laughed lightly. "What an interrogation he'd be in for."

"Tell me about it," Chance laughed, glancing out into the main room. "Looks like Tom's been at the fridge already," he mused, noticing his brother.

"He was a drunk before you enlisted?" Jake scowled at the older tomkat that looked so much like his partner, who had Mayrie somewhat pinned in the crowd.

"No, but I can see the pattern," Chance pointed out quietly. "I've got a little experience, y'know? Obviously not a _major_ habit though; he's not casual enough about it."

"Hey, hon," Tom said, stepping a little to Mayrie. "How's it going?" He asked her.

"I'm not your 'hon' anymore, Thomas," she said firmly. "You lost that when you left."

"Look, I made some mistakes," he said, sounding apologetic, but she could smell the beer on his breath. "I just couldn't handle it all, I'm sorry."

"That doesn't change the fact that _you left me_ ," she flicked her ears back. "Walked out on your kits, on your wife, and if you think _anything_ is going to make that acceptable, you are out of your mind."

"Mayrie!" He protested. "What do I have to do to make up for it? I want to try and make things better, is it really that hard to believe?"

"Considering you seem to be trying to get your son killed and make May an enemy she really can't afford by teaching your kits that hate is more important that manners...."

"What!" he nearly exploded.

"You son," she hissed under her breath. "Accused Jake Clawson of being gay for no reason other than having a pilot that occasionally slept with guys thirty years ago," she poked at him with an accusing finger. "You can thank your brother for Mitch's continued health, by the way. Apparently Chance cares more about your kits than you do."

"You know _damn_ well better than that," he hissed back, his ears going flat. "And I don't want that tailraiser anywhere _near_ Mitch."

"If you hadn't walked out on us, maybe you'd deserve some say in that," Mayrie growled back. "As it stands, you don't deserve what influence you have. It's hurt them all a lot more than helped them."

"Let me get this straight - I take off because I can't handle bringing up the kits. We break up, yes, but I spend the next eight years helping support them anyways - and you didn't have to fight me for those payments once, remember - and helping bring them up, including taking them while you go out with other guys once in a while, and I'm the bad guy. Chance, on the other hand, lies to you, cheats on you - with a guy no less - and even after his fucking partner punches our son in the face, you're taking their side in this?"

"I take their side because Jake wouldn't have punched him if _you_ hadn't taught him to hate with no sense of when to keep his mouth shut," Mayrie snarled. "It's bad enough you taught him to hate, but you could at least have had the care to teach him when _not_ to accuse people."

"I never taught him to be an idiot!" Tom growled, looking around, trying to keep the scene to a minimum. "Besides, you think it's _reasonable_ to punch a teenager in the face for something like that?"

"No," she said simply. "It's something that would not have happened if you had not taught him it. He doesn't hear those things in _my_ house."

"Look, what the fuck is _wrong_ with you?" Tom hissed. "He _hit_ our _son_ , and you're okay with that?!?"

"Tom, back off - it's not like you wouldn't've hit somebody who'd said the same thing," Chance said, moving in to break up the increasingly likely fight before it started.

" _You_ stay the hell away from my son," Tom snarled at his younger brother, his fists balling up.

Chance didn't even look, he just extended an arm back to stop his partner from stepping up to the fight.

"That's not going to be your choice," Mayrie took the reprieve gratefully as she stepped back, putting Chance between them by a bit. "I have a right to date who I choose."

"The _fuck_ it won't be my choice," Tom growled, his ears flat, his eyes on Chance. "If you want to get back together with him, fine, go ahead and be one of a hundred - but he's _not_ going anywhere near my son, and I _will_ fight to make sure he doesn't."

"You do _not_ want to do that," Chance said firmly. "Trust me, you won't be able to afford the lawyers."

"One call and you'll be out on the street tailraiser," Tom hissed threatenly, a little too drunk and too focused on his brother to see the fury building in the small tom standing just behind Chance.

"And then I go private, as a test or stunt pilot. Maybe even go into design work for Pumadyne, I know enough about how the things go together to put their small arms section into the next century. I make more money, risk my life less, and you get to be the guy who cost the Black Knights their best pilot... and the _Knights_ don't care about my background. They'd really hate losing me though," he added out, the threat clear enough without being voiced, even through Tom's alcoholic haze.

It was just enough to make Tom clue into the fact that they were the center of attention, and he was not getting much support. "Just keep your hands _off_ my son," he demanded and stalked off towards the kitchen.

"Thank you," Mayrie let out a breath of relief.

"You're welcome," Chance said softly. "Y'want out of here?" He asked her quietly.

"I think that would be good," she nodded, though Chance could see she was eyeing his partner more than him. "I guess we can have that dinner now, if you don't mind the kits."

"Jake?" Chance asked, glancing back at his partner. "Don't want to leave you stuck here without somebody to be moral-supporting," he joked slightly.

"Leave, yes," he nodded. "I don't mind taking a cab back to the hanger," he offered. "Give you some time with them without my temper."

"If you don't mind," Chance nodded. "Maybe get back to working on your special project again - I know you weren't looking forward to leaving it behind," he smiled. "I'll go let Mom and Randi know, then meet you outside," he offered Mayrie. "Unless you'd rather stick around; honestly, I think I can handle it."

"Jake could take the car you came in, if you don't mind riding with us," Mayrie offered. "I can drop you off after dinner."

"Sure," he smiled. "Why don't you round up the kits, I'll meet you out there? And I'm paying," he added, heading out to go find Randi before she could protest.

"Some things never change," Mayrie chuckled with a shake of her head.

Jake touched her arm gently as she turned to get her kits. "Thank you for giving him a second chance."

"He was a good boyfriend, except for that one issue," she smiled at Jake. "It seems like he's grown up a bit."

"Yeah," Jake nodded. "A little fast, maybe, but he's managed to get the responsibility part down without forgetting how to have fun. You guys have a good time," he smiled, heading out to the truck. He saw his partner talking with his mother and sister in the kitchen and smiled to himself. He hoped the evening went better than the day had for him.

* * *

"But I wanted to eat with everybody," Mitch whined as Mayrie herded her children to the older minivan she had to drive around in. "Why do we have to go home?"

"We aren't going home, we're going out to eat," she said firmly. "Your father is determined to make it unpleasant so we are not going to stay."

"How come you blame _him_ for everything?" Mitch asked her, keeping the scowl mostly hidden.

"Because he left us, and because he taught _you_ that hate is more important than manners," she told him. "Now get in."

He climbed into the back seat, buckling in with a sulky expression that Mayrie knew would be there without even seeing it.

"If he's not happy now, he's gonna be _thrilled_ to know I'm coming along," Chance warned her as he came out.

"He can choose to stay in the van," she said with a warning look for her son as she buckled Carrie in. "But he won't. And _I'm_ driving," she told Chance pointedly with a motion to the passenger side door.

"Yes'm," he said sheepishly, climbing into the passenger's seat. "Your car, after all."

Mitch was being pointedly quiet as he sat in the back.

"Where are we goin'?" May asked, moving almost unconsciously to the seat behind Mayrie's.

"The Chuck Wagon," she told them.

"Yay!" Carrie cheered.

"Whatever," Mitch grumbled. "Why does _he_ have to come along?"

"Because _I_ invited him," Mayrie turned to glare her son down before she pulled onto the street. "You need to learn how to socialize and apparently I'm not giving you enough opportunities. That will be changing now."

"May, he's still your Dad," Chance told her. "He's trying to use facts, but the facts are wrong. Your Grampa has the same problem, he's just better at swallowing it, at least it sounds like it. Oh, and I'm definitely _not_ gay," he added.

Mitch gave him a disbelieving look. "Dad said you were caught."

"I was," Chance nodded. "I've been with toms before, but I prefer girls, honestly."

"If you date guys, you're gay," Mitch said pointedly.

"It generally only means you _only_ date guys," Chance offered, though he didn't want to push the point too much. "When you date both, you're bi instead. Though for some people, it's splitting hairs," he admitted.

"What's wrong with you that you can't make up your mind?" Mitch demanded.

"Why should I have to?" Chance returned the challenge and raw Mitch twitch backwards in surprise, which caused his sisters to snicker. "As long as the people I'm dating are okay with it, if it comes up?"

"Because it's _wrong_!" Mitch fell back on the only thing he could. "Even Bastet says so."

"You're father tell you that?" Chance looked back at the boy. "I know it's the popular public opinion, but if you actually read Her scriptures, what she is against is those who abandon their children for another tom, and toms who choose a tom over a shekat to have kits with. How good are you at your scriptures?" He asked.

The entire car heard Mayrie chuckle softly, and it made Mitch scowl even more.

"He hasn't gone to Sunday School since he was nine," May answered for him.

"His call?" Chance asked her curiously. It wasn't what he'd expected to hear, that was certain.

"Yes," Mitch answered with a glare. "All they kept going on about were things that made Dad look bad, and never _answered_ anything."

"He doesn't think the Gods are real," Mayrie added.

"Well... not sure how long that'll last," Chance admitted. "Y'mean things about what happened with him leaving?" He asked Mitch, trying to be gentle about it.

"Yes," the kit grumbled.

"It's the Church's job to encourage people to take care of their kits," Chance offered. "And they tend to look at what _they_ think is the right way to do it. He's been helping to raise you, but they don't think he's going about it the right way... they didn't have child support and custody agreements back when they wrote the Leaves of Motherhood. Mothers of Mercy Temple?" He asked, looking at Mayrie, hoping he remembered the right one.

"Yes," she nodded. "They've helped a lot, despite Mitch's opinion of it."

"I'm sure they have," Chance nodded. "They're also one of the more conservative ones out there - there's a reason _I_ stopped going," he admitted. "Have either of you considered visiting Halikar's temple some time? It might give you a slightly different look at things."

"No," Mayrie looked at him curiously. "We don't have any connections to an Enforcer god."

"He covers a bit more than just the Enforcers," Chance smiled. "I think you might get along with them a bit better," he told Mitch. "Even if you don't buy into Halikar's existence, the Church's focus might be one you get along with better. They wouldn't hit the buttons for you that Bastet's priests did, at least, once they had the details."

"Because warriors leave their families fairly often?" she glanced at him.

"Yes," Chance admitted. "Halikar teaches that while it's better to stay with your family when you can, the honorable thing to do when you can't - for whatever reason - is to continue to support them. From what I _understand_ , he has."

"He has," Mayrie consented. "Money wise, and he's taken good care of the kits when he has them, as far as I know."

"He does, Mom," May said. "Summer gets long, but weekends are fun."

"They wouldn't have any real problem with him on that front," Chance nodded, glad that Tom hadn't gone _that_ far from what he remembered. "They've got a few other things in their favor too, and they're on good terms with Bastet's church."

"Like what?" Mayrie asked as she pulled into the half-full parking lot of the Chuck Wagon restaurant.

"Well, for one thing, they've got contacts in some career fields," he pointed out as he climbed out, adding the rest to Mayrie when Mitch couldn't hear.

"I also know a priest or three who can start turning Tom's stuff around," he told her quietly, and seriously.

"All right," she nodded. "They could all stand it," she sighed. "Maybe we can try for less confrontational topics over dinner?"

"I'd be happy to," Chance smiled. "Need any help?"

"They're older than that," Mayrie giggled. "Even Carrie gets herself to school," she said with just a hint of sadness before the five of them headed for the front door. "Have you eaten here before?" she asked Chance.

"I haven't dealt with kits in a _long_ time," Chance admitted. "And no, not really."

"It's buffet-style home cooking. Meat and potatoes stuff," she said as they entered and Chance got a nose full of good smells.

"Five?" the hostess asked as they walked up.

"Yes," Mayrie answered easily and followed her to a table. "Two adults, two at thirteen and one at eight. We're all having the buffet."

"If you need anything, my name is Janet," the hostess smiled and left them to ravage the four long buffets of food.

"I can see why you like this place," Chance chuckled, as he watched the kits make their ways down the buffets. "Anything I should know about stuff they should stay away from, allergy-wise?"

"No, they're all healthy," she said gratefully as the adults walked through the hot buffet more slowly. "They're allowed to eat what they want when we come here. It's a rare enough treat."

Chance nodded slightly, grabbing a plate for himself and picking out a reasonable serving of fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese and green beans in butter. "Hope you don't mind my offer in the van," he said quietly. "I'm not trying to butt in where I don't belong."

"If it gets Mitch back into a church, I can't object that much. He's more protective of his father than the girls are," she said. "Constantly hearing how wrong he was doesn't sit well with him."

"Part of it's being a tom," Chance pointed out. "His Dad's his best example of what he's supposed to be like, growing up, most of the time... even if he did take off, that'll be a connection he won't want to drop that easily."

"I understand," she nodded, adding pulled pork to the fried chicken on her plate. "Eating light for a reason?" she asked curiously.

"With my job and a buffet, it's safer," he chuckled. "I can always make another trip up, but I'm less likely to leave a plate full of food behind if I get called out mid-meal. That's actually something you're going to have to consider, if we're going to do more than just be friends again," he told her seriously, taking some of the grilled pork steaks and buns.

"Does it happen often?" she asked quietly.

"Not that often," he reassured her. "But sometimes... it's mostly an issue when there's something more than a date going on. It's one of the big reasons I haven't tried for much more than casual dating," he admitted. "Things are rough when I might get dragged out in the middle of family functions."

"That I'm already used to," Mayrie sighed. "A forekat has the same issue. If something big happens, they can be called in at any hour, any day, and it's always bad news."

"I suppose you're right," he nodded. "Especially around here... he get called in when those worms showed up?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted as they walked to their table. "I really don't talk to him much, since the divorce."

"Fair enough," he nodded. "Any hobbies of the kids you can recommend for topics?" He asked her, taking a moment to grab a drink for each of them.

"Carrie has the typical fascination with all things horse, fantasy or otherwise," she smiled tolerantly. "May, as you may have gathered, is developing an interest in design work. Jets, cars, bikes; she's actually quite good at drawing them. She's fascinated with guns and knives, which I'm trying to not encourage. Mitch likes sports, particularly football and rugby, and avoiding school."

"Any good at them?" Chance asked her curiously.

"He's better at rugby; he's a little over-zealous for football," she chuckled as they sat down, keeping an eye on her kits as they worked through all four buffet lines. "He's gotten in trouble a few times for hurting opponents."

"Big for a kat, too small for a xanith," Chance nodded. "If it's just not knowing how to control himself properly, I could help with that," he offered. "Kinda got used to it myself, a long time back."

"And too aggressive by half," she added quietly. "Sometimes I think he enjoys hurting people. If he's willing to learn from you, it would be appreciated."

"If that's the case, getting him in to Halikar's would be a good move anyways," Chance nodded slightly as the kits started back. "Good dinner topics?"

"Their hobbies are, especially Mitch and sports," she smiled at him as the kits came back. "Might get you on his good side. I'm not much for playing games with him. Maybe some things we could all do together. Water park, theme park, zoo ... at least one of them likes most of those places."

"Thanks," he nodded briefly, smiling as the kits took their seats, waiting to let them get settled in and see if they had anything they particularly wanted to talk about before opening up the conversation himself.

"Why are you coming to dinner with us?" May asked politely before digging into her fried chicken.

"Your mother and I were old friends," Chance said honestly. "We haven't seen each other for years, and it was nice to talk with her again. When things were starting to get uncomfortable for both of us, I figured it was only fair if I offered to help with dinner."

She glared at her brother, clearly thinking he was at least partly at fault. "Where's Jake?"

"He had some projects he wanted to go work on," Chance explained. "He might be my gunner, but he's still working on different design projects. He doesn't get out too much," he chuckled.

"Sounds like Cathy's Dad," May giggled. "He's always getting teased about it."

"Cathy is her best friend, the one whose father works at PumaDyne," Mayrie explained.

"She's taking AP Math and Science with me," May said proudly.

"Great," Chance smiled. "What's her last name? Maybe Jake knows him."

"Whitestar," she said. "He sure talks like he knows Jake."

"Think I remember him... I'll check with Jake to be sure," he smiled. "He probably does know him - Jake's got more contacts there than he does in the Enforcers, almost."

"The top aircraft and weapon designers are a fairly small group," May nodded. "They all at least know of each other, even if they don't work for the same company. Probably like top fighter pilots?"

"That's pretty much exactly what Jake says," Chance smiled. "Hang on... oh yeah, Jake knows him," he chuckled. "They're probably working together right now, actually, they're on the same project at the moment."

"Really?" her eyes went wide. "He's doing something _really_ important then."

"How would _you_ know?" Mitch had finally had enough of his sister's talking.

"Because Cathy's Dad is working on some really critical black project. He's been at it almost three months. She said he got called in the middle of the night at home and has barely been back since. He's really excited even though he can't tell her anything."

"It is something like that," Chance nodded. "We can't say anything about it either, of course. Not about what it is, at any rate. Maybe when it's all over."

"So why aren't you working with your partner?" Mitch tried for a jab.

"Because I'm training the people who'll be flying what they're working on," Chance said easily. "I'm not a designer - the most I can do is come up with the ideas, I've got no clue how to make them work. On the other hand, I know how to fly what they're working with when most people don't - so I'm trying to change that last part. Your Mom said you like football, right?"

"Yes," he nodded suspiciously.

"Well, if everybody on the team was doing the same thing, the game'd be totally screwed up," Chance pointed out. "Jake and Cathy's dad are good at the designing end of things - kinda like the QB's. I'm good at using what they design, kinda like a receiver. Wouldn't do any good if we didn't have both."

"I guess," he settled into his meal, obviously unhappy that his jab hadn't worked. He didn't see the amused look on his sisters, or the approving one his mother gave Chance.

"Have you always been a pilot?" May asked.

"No, I started out as a soldier during Lothos," Chance explained. "Signed on, not drafted," he added. "After I got out, I became a cop. Got mixed up with a group that had some bad ideas about how to help the city, got out when I realized how bad they were. That's when I went into the Enforcers and became a pilot."

"So you met Jake when you were training to be a pilot?" May guessed.

"Did you leave any kits there?" Mitch asked around a bite of smoky, gooey beef ribs.

"Mitch," Mayrie growled. "At the _very_ least don't talk with your mouth full."

"No, I didn't," Chance said. That accusation was easy enough to deal with, at least. "I wasn't a saint, but I didn't leave any kits behind. I'm used to getting questions about that sort of thing," he reassured Mayrie.

"How did you decide to be a pilot?" May asked before her brother could think of a new question. "Grunt to cop makes sense, but pilot? How didn't they know you were that good before?"

"I never tried," Chance admitted with a chuckle. "Then they gave me the spatial awareness, reflex, and math tests and figured out that I'd probably be good at it. They put me in a cheap little two-seater and I was a natural. Since I'd never gone in for the training that would have told them I should be an officer, let alone a pilot, they didn't know have me take the tests.

"Why did you try when you did, then?" she remembered to swallow before asking.

"This is the other reason I didn't get a big plate full to start out with," Chance chuckled. "It was part of going into the Enforcer Academy. When I was in Lothos, I was field-promoted so that I could serve as a sniper, but when I came back I had to go through officer training. On the way there, I got sidelined into being a pilot. My career's basically been a string of finding out I was good in something and doing it."

"How did you become a cop then?" May frowned, trying to make the timeline work in her head.

"I served in Lothos and received a field promotion," he explained patiently. "I didn't sign up for another tour, so I became a cop instead. Then, when I re-enlisted with the Enforcers, I went to the Academy and found my talent for being a pilot. That make more sense?"

"Oh, okay," she nodded. "I thought Commander Feral ran the cops too," she cocked her head.

"He does, but the police are a separate department," Chance told her. "So are the Army and Navy. The Commander is the only officer they have in common though, and they each have their own training, standards and duties. It's not the most straight-forward system," he admitted.

"Okay, so the Commander of the Enforcers is also the Commander of the Army, the Commander of the Navy and the Commander of the Police? One person, four jobs?" she looked at him, hoping she had it right.

"Yes," Chance smiled and nodded. "He has a lot of responsibilities."

"What rank are you?" Carrie asked, the first time she'd spoken up since getting here.

"I'm a Major; pilots start out as Lieutenants and work their way up," Chance explained. "I had a few other things happen in the past that led to extra promotions... it's tricky when that comes into play."

"He's rank seven out of eleven," Mitch added to the conversation and managed not to sound snarky about it.

"What do you do for fun?" May asked.

"Well, when I'm not out for a flight somewhere just for fun, it tends to come down to games," Chance admitted. "Between Jake and I, we've got most of the major systems out there - GameStar, DreamStation, even a couple old arcade units that Jake has out in the garage. So usually we're seeing who can beat whose score on Space Kat... or arguing over whether Scaredy Kat is better than Litterbin or not. I still haven't convinced him it is," he smirked slightly, "but I'm getting there."

"Do you watch the new stuff too?" Mitch suddenly perked up without an attitude behind it.

"I prefer the classic, but I watch it sometimes," Chance smiled inwardly. He'd just found something to work with - that was good. "A lot of the artwork was better in the older stuff."

That got a questioning look, but for once Mitch didn't give him lip about it. "I guess. There's so little motion in it. Have you seen the live-action movies?"

"The first one, but that's not really my style," Chance admitted with a shrug. "They put a lot more emphasis on the writing - good or bad - and a lot less on what made the show fun in the first place."

"The second movie was a lot more fun," Mitch told him. "It was like one of the cartoons, just with people and CGI."

"Maybe I'll catch it some time," Chance smiled, filing that away for one of those things he could use later on. "How about you? Your Mom mentioned football and rugby, and sounds like you like the same sort of shows I do. What other types of things are you interested in?"

"Video games, swimming, track, javelin, hiking ... I like working on the oil rig too."

"What?" Mayrie nearly choked on her pork.

"I got to work with him sometimes in the summer," Mitch shrugged. "I'm the same age as when he started working."

" _He_ started working because it was the only way to keep his siblings fed," Mayrie scowled. "Oil rigs are dangerous."

"What were you _doing_ on the rig?" Chance asked, hoping to head off the argument he could see coming. He'd seen Enforcers bringing their kits in sometimes - gods knew HQ wasn't any safer than your average oil rig, unless you were actually working with the machinery.

"Mostly staying close to him, watching what happens, but I got to help out when they needed a hand, or needed some tool quickly," he tried to balance out the truth, tempering his mother's response and playing up what he'd done.

"Which means you'd have been the first one out of there if trouble had hit," Chance nodded. "Mayrie, I've had wingmates who brought their kits along... not on patrol, but to HQ, and that's not necessarily the safest place either," he pointed out. "Doesn't sound like he was roughnecking or anything particularly dangerous."

"No," she settled herself, though she still wasn't all that happy. "How many times have you gone?" Mayrie asked her son.

"Umm, a few dozen," he said hesitantly. "Mostly last summer."

"He's never gotten hurt," May offered in her father and brother's defense.

"All right," Mayrie accepted it.

Chance quietly thanked his lucky stars she'd backed off of it - and that she'd given him the chance to come in on Mitch's side in something. The kits were going to be the hardest part of this, especially him.

"So, did you ever try wrestling out?" He asked casually.

"Just in PE," Mitch said. "It's never ... felt right. Not like the other sports."

"Fair enough," Chance nodded, working on his own meal. "I used to be pretty good at it myself, though it's been years since I've practiced. You play any of them at school?"

"Rugby, track and field," Mitch said. "Swimming and rugby are after-school programs."

"Which teams are you on?" Chance asked him curiously. This was a topic he could relate to him on for a while... he'd have to remember to bring the girls in later, but he wanted to be _sure_ that he got his best impression on Mitch while he could.

"Max Middle School, swimming with the YMCA," he said.

"Because he's not good enough to get with a real team," May butted in.

Mitch scowled at her before continuing. "And football with the Scouts."

"What sort of programs are you in?" Chance asked May, since she'd opened it up for discussion by jumping in on Mitch's.

"Lacrosse, girl's wrestling, Kit Scouts and Future Engineers of the World," she grinned. "How far did you get when you were wrestling?"

"Depends on who you ask," Chance chuckled. "I was going to be on the team that went to the Olympics; if you ask your Grampa, I had the potential to go farther, but I'm still not sure about that myself. I wouldn't ask him though, honestly."

"Cause he'll start to rant like Dad does?" she guessed.

"Sometimes," he nodded. "It's one of the things that ticks him off. Never mind the fact that if I was lucky, I'd only be washed up and stuck coaching by now if I had gone that way. If I wasn't, I could be in a lot worse shape."

"Why is he so hung up on it then?" May cocked her head slightly.

"A lot of parents get hung up on the 'plan' they have for their kits," Chance explained. "To his way of thinking, I should've been a famous athlete. The short time that career lasts never really figured into it... besides, coaching would be better than getting shot at all the time, like I am now, and who knows where I'd have gone with a free ride through college that wasn't attached to serving in the military. The ways things could go bad never really occurred to him, I don't think."

He wasn't going to say the reason he _really_ thought it was - it was the only obvious consequence of his liking toms, so obviously it was the worst thing to happen in his life. He didn't need to go there right now.

"Does Jake really know how to fight?" May asked. "Cathy's Dad say's he's a total wimp, but I said he couldn't be an Enforcer if he didn't know how to."

"Yeah, he knows how - he just prefers not to have to, and he doesn't look like the big tough type," Chance explained. "He might not have known much about it while he was still working with her Dad, but he's gotten a lot better since."

He wasn't entirely sure, but it looked like Mitch actually welcomed the news. It did kind of make sense - it meant he hadn't been decked by a guy who was a 'wimp,' even if he was three times his age.

"What games do you play?" Mitch asked.

"Depends on the mood, but Halo, Gears... that's about it for the military type of games, beyond that I usually stick to Oddworld, the Street Fighters, Megakat, a few like that. Don't want to go into the full list," Chance admitted. "Haven't played a lot of them in ages, honestly."

And he was _not_ going to mention the Rakenju imports. There were some things the kits didn't need to _know_ existed yet.

"No flight sims?" May sounded surprised.

"I've got the real thing," Chance pointed out with a bit of a smirk. "When you fly them, the sims usually miss the point... a couple of the flight games aren't bad, but even most of those don't feel right most of the time."

"I guess," she nodded, thinking that over.

"There's also the fact that the ones that _say_ they're realistic usually miss out on a lot of the things that I notice," he offered. "The ones that do stuff that's just not possible are different; you expect them to be a little silly."

"Do you have a private plane?" May cocked her head, and he could see the wheals turning in it. He was sure her mother could too.

"Yes, and I could take you all up some time, if it's okay with your mother," he said, heading off the question he knew was coming. "It'll have to be set up ahead of time though, I need to make sure it works out with my schedule. And if I get called in, we land," he added for Mayrie's benefit. "It's a decent stunt plane, but it's no fighter."

"All right," Mayrie agreed, somewhat reluctantly, but to the cheers of her kits. "Just try and not make any of them sick."

"I won't," Chance promised. "I'll check out my schedule and get back to you about setting something up. The next couple weeks won't be a good time, but after that should work out."

"Evenings and weekends work best for us," Mayrie nodded in agreement. "And holidays. Everyone is very busy with after-school events."

"We'll figure out a weekend where you've got them, and I'm open," Chance nodded. "I don't want to get in the way of a weekend you've got with your Dad."

"I doubt Dad would _let_ you," Mitch said.

"Yes, he'll have a fit if he heard about this," May looked at her siblings pointedly.

"Hay, I'm not going to screw this up for us," Mitch glared back, one ear twitching unconsciously.

"The last time he ignored that look he found out what it means to live with an angry FEW," Mayrie couldn't help but chuckle.

"May I get desert, Mom?" Carrie asked politely.

Mayrie looked at her plate and nodded. "Yes. Whatever you want."

"Why do I picture a scene out of Home Alone?" Chance chuckled. "I'll be right back, myself," he said, stacking his empty plate on the edge of the table.

"Something like that," May smirked before the three Furlongs still at the table focused on their food.

Chance selected some ribs, garlic bread and slaw, all the while keeping an eye on Carrie as she put together a rather impressive brownie and hot fudge sundae with all the toppings. She was just heading back to the table when he had his second plate of food.

He waited until she'd be ahead of him, and then followed her back, taking a cornbread muffin to provide an excuse for the delay. He spotted a Hyena keeping an eye on Carrie, and stuffed back the initial protective urge he felt. For all he knew, she was a mother herself, just keeping an eye on an apparently unsupervised kit.

"Your Mom tells me you like horses," he offered to Carrie, starting the conversation again as they both sat back down.

"Oh yes," the girl brightened. "Mom says that I'm finally old enough to go to horse camp this summer," she was all but vibrating with excitement. "Do you ride?"

"Not if I can help it," Chance admitted. "I rode briefly back during Megawar II, but I really prefer other ways of getting around."

"How?" she stopped and looked up at him. "You're Mom's age, not great-grandpa's."

"Time travel gets confusing that way," Chance chuckled. "Jake and I have gotten tossed all over the place, thanks to the Past Master. Dark Ages, a couple trips to Megawar II, a couple to the future... as long as I don't try and figure out the difference between my real age and what it is on the calendar, I'm fine."

"Oh," she blinked, but didn't argue with him. "Do you ever go on purpose?"

"Only to get back home," Chance said, shaking his head as they walked back to the table. "There's too much that can go on with time travel... glad we made the trips to the future though, they help us fix things up a bit."

"It must be cool, knowing what's going to happen," she giggled and sat down to work on her sundae.

"Sometimes, when it works out," Chance chuckled, not wanting to go into all the explanations, especially not for somebody who was just eight.

May raised an eyebrow at her little sister.

"He time travels," Carrie said with a giggle.

"I heard it was possible, but not that we could control it yet," May focused on Chance with a real fascination.

"Uhm, no, we can't," Chance said, shaking his head and noted her mixture of disappointment and that 'your gauntlet has been accepted' expression Jake got anytime he was told something was impossible. "At least not without a lot of luck. I just get tossed around by the Past Master... and sometimes I do it to come home, counting on the 'luck' part."

"Okay, so it can be done, likely controlled, by magic," May nodded, most of her mind focusing on the problem. "Anything magic can do, technology can do. It's just a matter of frequency, power and fluctuation."

Yeah, he _definitely_ knew that look. Of course, he knew that technically there were ways to control it, he just didn't understand the technology, and didn't really want to throw that particular loop at them.

"I think I prefer you working with explosives," Mayrie sighed with a shake of her head.

"Can I come over after school to play video games?" Mitch asked.

"If it's okay with your Mom, your homework's done, and I know about it ahead of time so I know we've got the time," Chance said. "Like with the flying."

"Agreed," Mayrie nodded. "The same rules as any other playtime."

"Cool," Mitch grinned. "Desert time," he grinned as he hopped to his feet and tried not to scurry to the desert bar, his sister not far behind.

* * *

Chance pulled his bike into the parking garage of the apartment building that Mayrie had given him the address to... it certainly wasn't the high rent district, not that he'd expected it would be. She'd wanted to put the kits to bed on her own, then have him come back to spend some more time together. As he walked through the hall, looking for her apartment number, he made a mental note that it was likely to be just more talking; he didn't think the apartments could be large enough to really make anything more than that practical.

He stopped at her door, checking his watch to make sure it was late enough the kits would be in bed before he knocked.

Mayrie was dressed the same as when he'd left her, and she smiled warmly when she opened the door. "Come in," she said as she stepped to the side. "Thanks for coming back."

"Well, I said I would," he smiled, stepped in and looked around the worn but clean apartment quickly. It was obvious kits lived here, there were toys, pictures of youngsters, and the drawings done by kittens everywhere he looked. But there were also hints of the personalities of the older kits in evidence too, particularly May's talent for disassembling and building things. He was sure it was her technical draft of an Enforcer Raven that was hanging on the wall too. It wasn't quite good enough to be a print, but it was as accurate. "You've got three good kits, Mayrie."

"Thank you," she smiled and locked the door before showing him to a well-used couch in front of a fairly small TV. "It's been hard, raising them alone for eight years."

"I don't mean to pry, but is there really room for them here?" Chance asked her gently. "Mitch and May are getting older."

"I know," she signed and let the tension she barely recognized holding drain from her into the couch. "I'll move Mitch to my bedroom soon. I'd love to have more space for them, but it's the reality of money. Even with the alimony and kitten support, and my income, I barely make it month to month here."

"Don't suppose you'd be able to help kitten-sit from time to time? Might help out," he offered. "And we're going to need somebody who knows how to handle kits soon," he chuckled slightly.

"I certainly will when I can," she agreed. "Have you read up on caring for a newborn?"

"When I've had the chance," Chance nodded. "Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of resources out there for a single _father_ raising a newborn."

"There shouldn't be much difference, other than you can't nurse her," Mayrie said. "Try looking for information for mothers who can't nurse. Your pediatric doctor should be able to answer any questions you have left."

"That'll help," Chance nodded. "How'd you handle it?"

"You cat nap for a couple years," she chuckled. "You can say goodbye to a full night's sleep for at least the first two, possibly longer. You'll need someone to take care of her full time until she's old enough for daycare. There might be places that handle newborns, but I don't know about them."

"Going to have to look into it, given my job," Chance nodded. "Be rough on anybody we hired to look after her, but that might be the best option."

"A live in nanny is probably the best option, but they don't come cheep," she said. "I'm sure there are options. You'd hardly be the first parent that couldn't be home full time in the first few years."

"True," Chance nodded. "Don't suppose you'd be interested in the job?" He chuckled. "What are you doing these days, anyways?"

"Factory work at LM," she said. "It pays well for my education, and I'd definitely be interested," she added with a smile.

"We'll have to check it out with Jake, but I can think of a _lot_ worse ways to make sure the kits are taken care of," Chance smiled. "And then we wouldn't have to worry about somebody finding out about us."

"It would also be a fairly effective dry run to see how well the three of us get along under stress. I love kits, but it is very tiring before they sleep through the night."

"Maybe something to bring up when we have a good sit-down dinner," Chance nodded. "The tricky part is going to be what to do with your kits... I really don't think Jake's going to take well to moving the three of them in right away."

"It is a lot to take at once," she nodded in understanding. "Going from effectively a bachelor with a live-in lover to living with that lover, his girlfriend, a newborn and three half-grown kits. Other options would be that I could take her when you're at work, but you have her at night. I'm used to handling my kits around a work schedule, and having them at your place for a couple hours some days might not be a bad way for everyone to get used to each other. I'm sure he didn't plan on having your girlfriend come with a half-grown family in tow."

"He'll be okay with it, he'll just need a little time to adjust," Chance smiled. "I wouldn't suggest moving in until the kits know him, and vice-versa... and I'll make sure he _does_ get to know them, even if that means taking them down to his lab."

"If you do, you might need to handcuff May," her eyes glittered with amusement. "And make sure you come back _with_ her, not a promise he'll bring her home. It'll be days before I see her. Though it will probably be the way to her heart. She didn't stop talking about getting to really talk with him until I turned the light off. I'm not sure if he's a hero to her, but she definitely respects what he's accomplished, especially after she looked up his public resume on line."

"I'm not surprised," Chance chuckled. "He's hardly the worst hero to have though. And if it's not just hero worship... well, she could pick worse adults to crush on too, if that's what it is. You can trust Jake not to really do anything about it."

"At least not for a few years, when it's legal," she nodded. "Nice to know he's the honorable type ... or is it that he's not going to bed a girl without you there?"

"A bit of both," Chance said. "And that he's just not likely to do it unless I wheedled him into it, which is _not_ gonna happen with your daughter. Be more likely that she'd force herself on him," he admitted, before wincing as he realized how that could sound. "I didn't mean it like that, I meant that it's just that unlikely to happen... Jake _really_ doesn't do girls without pressure from somebody to talk him into it, but he's got a hard time saying no if they try to make him do something."

"A serious sub?" she guessed.

"Yeah, and some things that happened to him years ago," Chance nodded.

"I'll just have to keep an eye on her attitude towards him then," Mayrie said easily. "Protecting them from themselves and the world from them is part of the job too."

"I know it," Chance nodded. "And the last time I saw it happen, the girl was sixteen and in heat, so she was legal at least. It's not that likely to come up. Any of them dating yet?"

"Thankfully not, at least nothing I call dating," she let out a breath of relief. "I know it won't last much longer, but I'm going to be grateful for every month I don't have to worry about it. Mitch is the one that really worries me. He was badly wigged out during my last heat. I'm sure he inherited the Furlong sensitivity to it. Any tricks for helping him through it?"

"Oh boy," Chance sighed. "Mostly, try and keep the scent down for him. Vanilla can help a little bit, though it's not always enough... Jake might know somebody who can suggest something though. There was some sort of imbalance that happened to my daughter in the future, gave her a similar problem, and they had meds for that. Jake might know who to ask if there's something that'd help Mitch out... and me, when it ends up mattering."

"I take cycle suppressors when I'm not trying for a kit," she assured him. "They aren't a hundred percent effective, but Tom said they were largely effective. If you could ask Jake to look into it, it would be wonderful," she hesitated. "You know I want more kits. If we get serious."

"I know," he nodded. "And as long as we can keep up with them, I'm okay with that... I just don't want to take the chance of sticking you with a huge family if something goes wrong."

"Life insurance would handle that, and if your partner isn't going to have kits of his own ... maybe talk to him about directing some of his money towards raising yours. If he is your mate...." she trailed off. "I know it's not normal, but this whole arrangement is not normal."

"We've already talked parts of it over," Chance nodded. "We just need time to make the changes... and we'll start to do that before our next big mission comes up, just in case."

Mayrie blinked. "Even before we start dating?"

"I mean for the kits," Chance explained. "Right now, an old friend of mine is listed as my beneficiary; she doesn't really need it, but she was the only person I had."

"And Jake isn't likely to outlive you," she nodded. "Thank you," she said, more than a little overwhelmed by it. "They aren't even your kits."

"No, but I can't think of anybody better to bring up Cassie, and you'll all need some support if it comes up."

"Cassie ... the kitten by the girl in prison now?" she guessed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Might as well tell you now; her mother is Turmoil. It's a long story involving a choice between bedding her and getting chucked out of her airship."

Mayrie's eyes went wide. "That's no choice at all," she sounded as horrified as she looked. "Why would she do that?"

"It wasn't worded that way," Chance explained. "But it was part and parcel of the job offer she gave me. I became her flight commander - and lover - or she tossed me out. Gave me the chance to sabotage the ship though."

"Where was Jake?" she asked, trying to wrap her brain around what he'd just described.

"Busy trying to get on the ship - I managed to eject him before I was nabbed," he explained. "Turmoil had a weapon that allowed her to induce vertigo - I was able to take the first shot, which is why she wanted me to sign on with her."

"Do things like that happen to you often?" she asked quietly.

"Which part?" Chance asked her honestly.

"The things I didn't think happened," she struggled to explain. "I know you get shot at, but how often does it get scarier than that?"

"Usually every few months," Chance admitted. "Usually doesn't last long though. Our longest time gone was nineteen days, but sometimes the time on the other side is longer. I think we spent nearly six months in the Dark Ages."

"Have you thought about a less dangerous job once you have kits of your own?" she asked uneasily. "You've been on the front line for most of thirty years now, your entire life."

"I have," he nodded. "Still thinking it over though. It's not just me, not even me and Jake, you know?"

Mayrie cocked her head. "I'm not sure I do."

"There's the rest of the wing too," he explained. "We're one of the best pairs in the best wing of the Enforcers. We're not the only ones on the line."

Mayrie signed. "I guess I can understand that. They're probably many of your closest friends too?"

"Yeah, and damn good guys," Chance nodded. "If there was another team on the way that could take our place, it'd be one thing, but...."

"You'd rather leave your family than leave your duties," she said, honestly not entirely sure what she felt about it. On one hand, it was the height of admirable, it was what heroes _did_. On the other hand, this time _she_ was the one seriously thinking about entering a relationship knowing she'd always take second place, not to another person, but to a city that would never not need him.

It wasn't what she had in mind for a second husband, but Chance was everything she had hoped for in one.

"I don't know, Mayrie," Chance said softly, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I haven't had long to think about it seriously, you know?"

"And why we date, before it gets any more serious," she nodded and leaned over to kiss him on the mouth. "To find out how it settles in, and give all of us time to get used to it. Jake and the kits will need time too."

"Jake especially... I don't want your kits to think I'm trying to take Tom's place, either." He smiled, kissing her again, tentatively resting a hand on her thigh.

"As much as I think you'd do a better job, especially for Mitch," she leaned against him, grateful for the strong warmth she hadn't had for years. "He is their father. Maybe having you around and knowing you will wake them all up to how much of their father's hate isn't normal. I know even if things don't work out with dating, I'd like to stay closer to you, and let May spend time with Jake. She could choose a lot worse for a role model, and far worse for a first crush, if that's where it goes. He can really help her in FEW, collage and beyond. A mentor of his caliber is worth a lot."

"And he'd be happy to, if for no other reason than getting one up on Whitestar," Chance chuckled, leaning against her lightly. "I really am sorry, Mayrie. Things would've been a lot different, for both of us, if I hadn't been such a moron."

"It would have, but where would we be now, a decade or so after your career ended?" she looked up at him. "You've got real, long-term future prospects now that an athlete just doesn't have."

"I know," he smiled. "Just that you deserve better than a fighter pilot getting a little long in the tooth. But if you're willing to try dealing with it... I am too."

"As long as you have a retirement plan that doesn't involve getting shot down, I'm willing to try," she smiled, sliding a hand along his leg. "Do you have anywhere to be in the morning?"

"Mmm ... not until about eight, but I do have to be in to train," Chance purred lowly, running his hand up her side lightly. "Thinking of giving me a reason not to go in early?"

"Well, there was something you always did better than Tom," she blushed, sliding her hand along his inner thigh and lifting her face to kiss him. "And I have missed it a great deal."

"How's the sound-proofing in your room?" He rumbled.

"None," she blushed deeper. "It'll be just like old times when you snuck into my room."

"We'll skip the part where I climbed to your window," he winked. "Your room? Or start out here, see how far we get?"

"My room," her eyes went wide. "They may know what sex is, but they don't need to see their mom doing it."

"Ah, right, sorry," he blushed sheepishly, standing up and taking her hand, pulling her up for a kiss. "Want to do this the way we started out, or the way things were getting?"

"I'd like to find out what you've learned in thirty years," she wrapped her arms around his neck and kiss him soundly. "We'll have plenty of opportunities for hard and fast later."

"Sounds good," he purred into the kiss. "Where's your room?"

Mayrie let her arms slid down, feeling a body that was even more fit than it had been thirty years before. He'd filled out a lot after high school, and even through the clothing, she could feel how much he kept up his workouts.

"Across the hall from the kits," she smiled and showed him to the hall on the right side of the main room. "The bathroom is the last door on the right," she motioned to it before opening the door on the left to a bedroom that gave him flashbacks to the barracks room he's shared with Jake during their Academy days. Feminine, with a bigger bed and less open floor space, but small and well-lived in.

After the last few years of living at Jake's standards, it was very ragged, old and cheep, but he knew that she was doing fairly well for a single mother of three, even with support from Thomas.

"Nice," he smiled, following her in and wrapping his arms around her waist. "So," he asked, kissing her neck tenderly as he closed the door with his foot, "you still like it from behind?"

"Mmm, yes," she purred deeply, the arousal already spiking in her body as she arched slightly and tilted her head to give him better access to her neck. "You always knew how to get me hot."

"I'm going to find out if anything's changed over the years," he promised her, running a hand up her belly, which was no longer flat in adolescence but rounded from motherhood. He cupped her breasts, much larger from nursing two litters, as he kissed her neck from behind again, and nibbled lightly as he loosened her blouse, his own arousal increasingly evident against her back.

"Ohh, just the shape of things," she moaned softly and pressed against him, lifting her arms to hug him without turning around.

"Humor me," he whispered, kissing his way up her neck to lick the edge of her ear lightly as he unbuttoned her shirt. "I've learned a few new ways to make sure you enjoy it too," he grinned at her gasp of pleasure.

"All yours tonight," Mayrie trembled as his hands slid inside the bra cups to squeeze her full breasts.

"Want to hear something kinda corny?" He asked her, massaging her breasts as he guided her to the bed. "Think I'm figuring out why I never did settle down."

"Waiting for true love?" she giggled, only to moan again as his hands moved away to take her blouse off.

"I don't know that I'd go _that_ far," he chuckled. "But I think I've always wanted another chance with you," he admitted, kissing her neck again as he tossed her blouse into the hamper and started working on her bra. "You're beautiful, baby. Always have been."

"Mmm," she turned around as her bra came loose to claim a kiss and unbutton his shirt. "You always were a sweetheart. Not everyone finds this shape attractive."

"Not everyone's got half a brain either," he purred, shrugging off his shirt, letting her see the powerful muscles of his chest and arms. "Like what you see?"

"Very much," she slid her spread fingers up his broad, powerful abs and chest. "You've filled out, put on muscle."

"Not what most ex-wrestlers can say," Chance chuckled. "Enforcers keeps you in shape though... means my endurance hasn't slipped any from when we were kids, too," he winked, undoing the button on her jeans as he kissed her deeply.

"Good," she moaned into his mouth, her fingers curling into his thick fur. "I haven't gotten nearly as much action as I want lately."

"Now _that's_ a shame," he purred, pressing her back onto the bed and fondling her breasts. "We have to fix that, don't we?" He crooned as their lips parted. "Up on your hands and knees, baby... still game for trying new things?"

"Yes," she shivered in anticipation, her sex slick with arousal as she got into position and slid her tail to the side.

"Good," he grinned, reaching up and snagging the pillow, stripping the case off of it. "Make sure you don't make any noise and wake up the kits?" He winked, twisting it into a makeshift - and mostly for show - gag.

He slid it around her face, a little slow as he pulled it into her mouth so she had time to object before he tied it behind her head when no objection came.

He pulled the belt out of his pants next, pulling her hands around behind her back and tying them enough that she'd have to work a bit to get loose, but could still do it easily enough if she wanted. He took a moment to arrange the pillow so she could rest comfortably on her chest.

"If it's too much, just tell me," he rumbled into her ear as he pressed himself against her back, his cock bulging against the front of his jeans as he pressed his hips against her panty-clad ass.

Mayrie nodded, her scent pure arousal as she trembled in anticipation.

"I'm not into bondage big time, but once in a while it's a little fun... especially when I want to take my time," he grinned, nibbling her neck as he reached around her to finger her through her already wet panties.

She moaned through the gag, her tail twitching as she spread her legs a bit further apart.

"Good girl," Chance purred, kissing the nape of her neck before he started working his way down, kissing her shoulder blades, and the sensitive skin above her spine. His fingers slid the cotton of her panties aside, touching her soaked skin directly as he fingered her slick clit. The contraction of her vulva against his fingers went right to his cock, as did her muffled moan and the way her swollen, slick clit twitched between his fingers.

He worked his way further down, sliding a finger up into her pussy, thrusting in lightly, getting his fingers nice and slick as he worked his way down her body slowly, paying special attention to the small of her back and the spot just above her tail, working it with his nose, teeth, and tongue. It gave him a powerful dose of her arousal, something his fingers reinforced, and it reminded him of one thing he always liked about her.

She was almost unsociably honest. Whether she was angry, horny, happy or anything else, she didn't hide it.

Chance moved down further, adding a second finger to her pussy as he skirted around it with his mouth, teasing her thighs and the backs of her legs. He used his free hand, massaging her feet through her socks for a few moments, running his thumb over the sensitive bottoms of them hard enough it wouldn't tickle before he finally pulled his fingers out of her pussy, pulling her panties down and licking his fingers clean. Finally, he climbed up behind her, massaging her calves with his hands as he ran his rough tongue from her clit almost to her anus.

He felt her tremble, and her moans escaped past the gag. Her scent was potent in his nose and encouraged him to keep going. He didn't hesitate at all, eating her out, his tongue lapping up the juices of her sex, his own cock throbbing against his jeans, eager for release. Still, he forced himself to hold back, flicking the underside of his tongue against her anus lightly to test her reaction.

He smiled when she shivered and her ass clenched, but no objection came. He slipped his fingers back into her pussy, curling his thumb up to rub her clit as he rimmed her, loving every twitch and shiver she gave him, and the fact that she was doing all of this while he still had his pants on. He slipped a claw out, lightly tweaking her clit as he brought his fingers forward to press firmly against her g-spot, and was rewarded with a gush of her juices as her body tightened around his fingers hungrily.

"Good girl," he grinned as she panted around the gag, finally reaching down to undo his pants, still fingering her twitching pussy as he undressed, leaving his jeans and boxers on the floor as he climbed up behind her again.

"Bet you want this inside you, don't you?" He purred, leaning over her, nibbling the scruff of her neck. "I'm not quite ready for that yet though...." He shifted a bit, straddling her hips, his cock resting in her bound hands as he started to thrust lightly. It didn't take her long to get the idea, wrapping her fingers around his cock and stroking in a counter to his thrusts. It was just a few moments before he came, biting back a moan as his cum splattered onto her back and her long ruddy-brown hair. He slid down, licking the places he'd painted with his seed, kissing them tenderly as he cleaned his own juices off of her before finally sliding his still-throbbing member into her sex, leaning forward and biting down on her scruff possessively as he started to fuck her.

She stiffened, arched and cried out behind the gag as she came harder than he ever remembered her coming. She hooked her lower legs around his, whimpering and mutely begging for him to keep going.

"Shh, not too loud," he murmured around her scruff, grinning as he kept fucking her, hard and deep, rubbing his shaft against her g-spot, occasionally going deep enough to brush her cervix, his cock throbbing inside of her quivering sex. If he hadn't already come once, he was sure he'd have filled her up already - as it was, it wouldn't be long.

He bit down harder just a few minutes later, stifling the groan as he came hard, filling her pussy, thrusting straight through his first orgasm, and then his second, before he reached down, slickening his fingers with her juices and pressing them lightly against her anus as he fucked her through her third orgasm, holding back longer this time as he started to stretch her out, watching carefully for any sign that she wasn't comfortable. When he thought she was loose enough, he shifted his head up, untying the gag with his teeth and letting it fall from her mouth.

"If you don't want me to go there, just say so," he told her. "I'm plenty happy where I am," he purred, rubbing his cock through the walls of her body.

"I like you were you are," she moaned, squeezing down around him. "I'd think you'd get enough ass with your guy. But there's a very fun dildo for the other in my top drawer."

"Let's see then," Chance purred, stopping his thrusts as he slid open the drawer and pulled out the toy she'd mentioned. He looked at the long, curved, blue dildo and its textured rings, and tried to figure out what it was supposed to be.

"Octopus?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I might have to look through your private DVD collection later."

"As long as you're with me for it," she winked up at him and wiggled her hips. "Now I'm empty, lover."

"Not for long," he promised with a grin, sliding the dildo into her ass after a moment to lube it up, sliding his cock back into her pussy and starting to thrust. "Better, baby?"

* * *

Chance groaned lowly as he felt somebody shaking his shoulder to wake him up.

"Is the sun even up yet?" He muttered quietly, blinking blearily, looking up at the clock radio. Six in the morning. "Damn, guess it is."

"Yes, and the kits will be up soon," Mayrie told him. "If you want a morning shower, grab it now."

"Okay, okay," he murmured, rolling out of bed and to his feet. "Last night... good?" He asked her, grabbing his boxers.

"Very good," she smiled and kissed him gently. "Now get cleaned up before the kits are up and I'll feed you too."

"Thanks," he chuckled, hurrying out and down the hall to the bathroom, leaving his boxers on the back of the john when he climbed into the tub with a shower head installed. She'd probably flip if she saw what Jake considered a shower.

He quickly soaked himself down, starting to soap up his fur in just a few moments more. Years of public showers had taught him how to clean up enough to be presentable quickly, though after the sex last night, it was going to take a bit. His morning wood wasn't helping any.

One ear twitched when he heard the door open, then close, but no one called out.

His head turned to see who it was - he couldn't tell, but based on just the height, he knew it wasn't Mayrie. He turned away from the door, figuring it had to be Mitch or May.

"A few minutes?" He asked and caught the way the youngster jumped at his voice from the corner of his eye.

"Umm, godda pee," Mitch said even as sound told Chance the same thing.

"Right... hurry up, if you can," Chance nodded, moving to where he was the least visible through the curtain. He couldn't have surprised Mitch _that_ much - the boxers on the back of the toilet should've been a pretty clear clue somebody was in there. Of course, it was just after six in the morning. If the kit was anything like his father, or Chance himself at that age, up but not awake was a valid description.

The peeing stopped, but Mitch didn't seem to have moved.

"There something else?" Chance asked him, quickly finishing with cleaning up and leaning over to turn off the water and hit the dryers.

"N-no," Mitch nearly jumped out of his skin before darting out.

Chance shook his head slightly, quickly drying off and getting his boxers on so he could get the rest of his clothes before anybody else spotted him. This was going to be a little awkward... possibly more than it already was going to be, given Mitch's lingering. It raised a few possibilities that could make the whole thing more difficult in the long run.

What little experience he had with kits were his own younger siblings, and there was no way any of them had the same kind of issues Mitch did, on so many counts. He just had to keep that in mind. Mitch hadn't had a tom around, or any other adult besides his mother, since he was five. Weekends with Dad were hard to count.

He sighed as he got dressed. He really couldn't imagine what it would be like to be raised in a very conservative church without a father around. He couldn't blame Mitch for the attitude on the gods.

"Time to find out how weird breakfast can be," he murmured and stepped out of Mayrie's bedroom, following his nose to the kitchen.

"Morning," she smiled at him from the stove, where a growing pile of pancakes was evident. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," he smiled, giving her a light peck on the cheek. "Need any help?"

"If you could set the table, it'd be a real help," she pointed to where the dishes were kept "The kits should be filtering in soon. Mitch likes to eat too much to let any of them dawdle much."

"And you make him wait until they're up too," Chance chuckled, getting some plates and silverware from the cupboard. "No problem, I'll set it up right away."

"Thank you," she grinned. "It works too. He is well-motivated by food. I'm fairly sure it's a Furlong thing."

"Pretty much," Chance chuckled. "Food, other things - it's definitely a good motivator for Furlongs, guy or girl." He set up the table, heading back to check and see if there was milk or juice in the fridge to pour. "If they ask why I'm over, anything you want me to tell them?" He asked her.

"That we're dating, or considering it at least," she said easily. "I don't believe in lying to them."

"So he'll be over regularly?" Mitch didn't sound all that pleased.

"What about Jake?" May asked right behind him.

"Morning, guys," Chance said, bringing over a couple glasses of milk. "I don't know how often I'll be over, but Jake probably won't be."

He saw May's disappointment, though she didn't say anything as she sat down. "Apple juice for me, please," she said when he put the milk down.

"No problem," he nodded, going back for a glass of milk for himself, and juice for May, glancing to make sure Mayrie was almost ready before getting some milk for her.

"Are you going to be our daddy?" Carrie asked innocently as Mayrie plated up the pancakes and breakfast hash onto the last plate.

"No," Mayrie answered quickly. "Thomas is your father."

"And I'm not planning on taking his place," Chance promised, waiting for Mayrie to get sat down and start eating before he started himself, taking a moment after the first bite to add a little pepper to his hash. "We're dating, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to push Tom out of anybody's life."

"Then why are you here?" Mitch asked with a belligerent tone, though he backed off when his sister shot him a warning look.

"Your Mom and I were close before I screwed up and she started dating your father," Chance told him as they started eating breakfast. "I'm trying to see if it'll work out now that I've got my brain straightened out."

He knew that could be taken several ways, but he couldn't come up with a better way to say it right now.

"Mitch, just because I may date, or even marry, someone else, does not make Thomas any less your father."

"Marry?" Mitch blurted out, clearly shocked, before May shut him up with another glare.

"Not any time soon," Chance promised him. "There's a lot of complications that have to be handled before we even start talking about that, especially with me being an Enforcer, and with Tom."

"Has Thomas been filling your head with the idea that we might get back together?" Mayrie asked, her tail flicking unhappily.

"Well... he'd like to try," Mitch said, his ears flattening as he sank back in his seat, poking at his food. "You're giving _him_ another chance."

"Yes, thirty years later," she pointed out. "When we'd both grown up a great deal. Your father can have a another chance when he grows up and stops hating people."

"Yes, Mom," Mitch nodded, trailing off to work on his breakfast.

"Is Jake planning to come to the next FEW event?" May asked in the vacuum, and in a much more excited tone.

"I don't really know... when's it going to be?" Chance asked, guessing that she wouldn't be asking if it wasn't something Jake had probably been to before already.

"The long weekend," she explained eagerly, to which both her siblings groaned. "Jake's one of the big names of the former members that now sponsors and stuff. I think I've seen him, but I know I've heard his name, and it's a big item on his public resume."

"Well, I can ask him about it, but I don't know for sure," Chance admitted. "Those big projects I mentioned might get in the way."

"I hope not," she tried not to show her disappointment at the possibility. "It's the biggest event of the year."

"You say that about all of them," Mitch turned his irritation on her.

"I do not," she countered. "There are more _important_ ones for me, but none are bigger."

"I'll talk to him about it, but I'm sure he'll be there if he can," Chance smiled. "Would you like him to take you, if he can?"

"You'd ask?" May's expression completely lit up, her breath caught in her throat.

"Sure, I'll ask," he smiled. "I just can't answer for him."

"Hurry up, you have to be going to school soon," Mayrie interrupted, focusing everyone on their meal. "There will be time to talk later."

"And I have to get to work," Chance nodded, finishing off his breakfast. "Thanks for breakfast, Mayrie; I'd offer rides, but I've got my bike instead of the truck," he apologized. "I'll call you later?"

"Please do," she smiled with a nod as he stood and put his dishes in the sink. "It's okay. They take the bus to school," she added and stood to show him out.

Chance went out along with her, giving her a parting kiss at the door before heading out to get his bike. He had to admit - it was one of the most successful first dates he'd _ever_ had, and that wasn't just in the sexual department. Things would be a little tricky with the kits, but it seemed he had May on his side, at least....

He hadn't had any clue where to start with looking for a girlfriend, but now it seemed he'd found the best one possible.


	43. Preemptive Strike

Chance slowly came around to a set of sensations that were distinctly unusual. Jake was snuggled up against him. The sun was warm and well into the sky. He _felt_ rested.

"Either I'm dreaming, or we've got the morning off," he murmured, trying to bring his mind around to see if he could remember with it was.

The latter, he realized. They were going out later, to start their lunar approach. With no further sign that the humans were willing to make contact, it was time to go drop off their little housewarming gifts.

But for now, he was snuggled up with his mate, and not particularly inclined to change the situation.

"Morning," Jake nuzzled him, stretching out and sliding his hand up his mate's broad chest. "Well-rested?"

"Very," Chance purred lowly. "You?"

"Ah-ha," Jake grinned, squirming up for a kiss. "How are you feeling about the mission?"

"How else? Nervous, but not going to let it get in the way. They have the plan finalized yet?"

"Assuming nothing changed after I left, we drop the bug-bots off, then do a slow, obvious fly-by while trying to contact them. If they talk to us, we signal the bugs to stop. If it's like the first time, we get the hell out and let the bombs do their work."

"Makes sense," Chance nodded. "Sorry I couldn't stick around for the rest of it, we had to finish the training flights. I've got my first wing put together, and a couple potential trainers picked out to send back with prototypes." He pressed back into Jake with a low sigh. "This is going to be messy, by the time it's all over."

"Not as messy as the MegaWar or Lothos," Jake said with a little too much certainty. "We don't have to make nice with these guys afterwards, or pick up the financial pieces of a failed war. And we know the world is likely going to look a lot better for it, or we won't have to worry about it," he murmured, claiming another kiss as he snaked his hand down to play along Chance's inner thigh.

"Mmm... I know," Chance admitted, kissing Jake back, wrapping an arm around him to stroke the small of his back and his tail. "Gonna be the first time we've seen an actual war like this though, not just a one-off invasion attempt."

Jake just purred throatily at the attention and slid his hand inward, cupping Chance's balls and fondling them. "Feel up for a little fun, make up for months of being too tired for it?"

"Sure thing," Chance purred. "Up on your hands and knees, cutie," he rumbled, licking Jake's neck before his mate shifted and presented his ass.

"Make it good, hot stuff," Jake rumbled, waving his tail as Chance ran his hands along the lean toms back and down his sides. "Could be a while before we get our next time alone."

"I know," Chance purred, getting up himself and kneeling behind Jake, kneading his ass with his fingers. "I've got every intention of making this good," he promised, before leaning down to spread Jake's ass and give his anus a playful lick.

"Oooo, you are playful today," Jake moaned, his body trembling as Chance began to rim him.

"You _said_ to make it good," Chance grinned up at him, fondling his filling sheath as he used the underside of his tongue to tease the nerve-dense flesh. "Gonna make this last for a while."

"Or until I whimper too much for you to stand," he moaned softly, focusing on enjoying the unusual amount of foreplay, even as he reminded himself that Chance was the one who prided himself on making the prelude to the first orgasm last half an hour. He didn't get to practice those skills very often at home.

"You're not getting off that easy," Chance rumbled, sliding slowly up Jake's body, kissing along his spine. "I've got every intention of slowing down in the middle a time or two," he purred, licking the nape of Jake's neck.

It was enough to make Jake shiver and whimper as he arched up against his partner. "We'll see, won't we," he purred deeply. "It's not easy for you with me."

"Not at all," Chance admitted, pressing up against Jake's back. "Love you," he purred, stroking his lover's cock, curling his tail around Jake's lightly.

"Love you." Jake moaned at the contact, his entire body tingling from it. "Never thought it could be this good."

"Worth doing it a bit more often than twice a year, huh?" Chance chuckled, nipping Jake's scruff lightly as he rubbed his cock against his ass. "Mmm ... one of these days I need to repay you for that night with the Mice."

"You don't need to," Jake still shivered at the thought, and the promise of what was coming soon.

"Oh, I think I do," Chance grinned. "Just not today," he rumbled, pressing himself into Jake's ass with a groan, stroking his cock with every thrust.

"Yessss," Jake hissed under his breath, his body welcoming the intrusion and the extra attention. "You have something in mind," he added with certainty.

"Oh yeah," Chance grinned. "But it's a surprise," he said, biting down on Jake's scruff and thrusting hard and deep. It hadn't taken him long to learn what his got his mate hot, and it was easy to provide.

True to form, Jake was right on the edge of an orgasm in just a couple minutes.

"Go on," Chance rumbled. "Come for me, babe."

Jake panted, then groaned and cried out as his seed spilled over Chance's hand and onto the bed while his body milked the thick cock deep inside him.

Chance roared as he pumped a load deep into Jake's ass, pulling out of him once he was finished, licking his hand clean before he reached over for something in the nightstand and pulled out a wipe to clean his cock off with.

"Care for a before-breakfast drink?" He purred.

"I think so," Jake grinned as he turned around and nuzzled his mate's groin. "And I do love the strawberry."

"That's why I picked it out," Chance purred. "What're you waiting for?" He asked with a grin, scratching Jake's ears lightly. He moaned lightly when Jake deep-throated him in a single motion and began to bob up and down, working the sensitive skin with his throat, mouth and tongue.

"Good boy," Chance groaned, leaning forward, nuzzling the spot above Jake's tail. He massaged his cheeks and watched the way Jake's balls and ass responded to his touch, even as his seed dribbled out of Jake's ass.

It wasn't long before Jake was purring deeply, the vibration going straight to Chance's balls, the tabby moaning as he nipped Jake's ass playfully before he straightened up, starting to fuck Jake's face in earnest.

"Want you to drink every drop," he groaned, holding back for a few thrusts more before he roared again, filling Jake's mouth with his thick cum. He felt it be swallowed, and knew, despite his demanding tone, that Jake would have swallowed it all anyway.

Chance moaned again when Jake didn't slow down when he finished coming. The lean tom seemed intent on draining him completely, one way or another.

Instead, he pushed Jake back, rolling him onto his back and straddling his hips.

"Oh no you don't," he purred, leaning down to kiss Jake hungrily. "You want another drink, you have to ask me _very_ nicely," he rumbled, teasing Jake's balls and erection with his tail, rubbing his ass against them as his startled partner processed this twist.

"You're really planning on doing it all before we go," Jake said, still a little surprised as he slid his hands along the tabby's powerful legs.

"Any better time?" Chance asked him, kissing him again. "Besides, we've got time before we have to clean up... and we've got plenty of time on the trip to rest up afterwards."

"No, no better time," Jake smiled up at him and brought his hands in to cup Chance's balls and lightly stroke his cock.

Chance sank back onto Jake's cock with a low, happy groan, thrusting into his hands and back onto his shaft.

"Damn, kat, you really need to use this more," he rumbled pleasantly. "Feels so good up there."

"Mmm, it does," Jake agreed, thrusting along with his mate, his body trembling with pleasure. "I like yours in mine a lot too."

"You'll get it... mmm... later," Chance promised him. "Gonna fuck you raw," he rumbled, grinding back against Jake's hips. "Come all over that tight little ass of yours too."

"Only debate is who's going to enjoy it more," Jake groaned, thrusting up harder as his balls pulled up. "Damn you're tight."

"Fill me, hon," Chance groaned, milking him, fondling his balls as Jake stroked his cock, about ready to come but trying to hold off until his mate was finished first. As much as he loved pounding Jake's ass and the way his mate squirmed and moaned at it, this felt far too to give up. He tightened his body around Jake's when he felt his mate's hand shift to his hips and the thrusts became more erratic.

"So many talents," Jake shuddered, then grunted as he thrust up, burring himself to the sheath and shooting his seed deep inside Chance's body, setting the tabby off too. He roared, his seed spurting up onto Jake's chest as he arched back, laying against him once he was finished.

"Damn you're hot," he purred lazily.

"So are you, Chance," Jake tipped his face to kiss him tenderly. "Thank you for looking for a girl. Much as I love this, all of it, it does take a lot out of me."

"I know," Chance admitted. "Maybe after we're back, if we get some time, we can set up dinner with Mayrie or something. Without Mitch around," he promised.

"Or the others, I hope," Jake smiled and kissed him again. "See if the adults get along first. She knows about us, what you're looking for?"

"Yeah, she does," Chance purred, rubbing Jake's sides. "She's a little weirded out that you're trying to get me to get a girlfriend, but I think it's just adjusting to the idea."

Jake purred, thrusting up lightly. "It's almost fitting if it works out. The girl you lost ends up being your wife."

"We'll have to see," Chance rumbled. "Now... I seem to remember you wanted me back inside you?" He teased.

"Always my favorite," Jake grinned and kissed him soundly.

* * *

"Good, you both look rested and ready," Commander Feral nodded to Jake and Chance as they walked into the hanger at Katilia Field.

Deputy Mayor Briggs was standing next to him, and her expression was only slightly less concerned. "You know you are to do your best to make peaceful contact _before_ the bombs go off?"

"We know," Chance nodded. "After all the attempts to contact them during the last month, we don't expect much, but we only let the bombs go off - or shoot - if they won't respond when we go up there."

"Good," she nodded.

"The shuttle is ready, and so are the bugs," A red Velupine tod spoke as he walked up. "Sara will be monitoring you as before."

"Good," Jake nodded to him. "Any last-minute information before we go, Sir?" he looked at Feral.

"No, Majors," Feral told them. "We are here to see you off," his voice conveyed just how critical he viewed this mission to be. "Come back in one piece."

"Will do, Commander," Chance promised as he pulled his helmet on. "Just have a wing ready to go up in case we come back hot, okay?"

"They will be," he promised. "Clear skies to you," he saluted the pair in a rare show of respect as they boarded the shuttle, now well-armed, and prepped for take-off.

Chance slipped into the pilot's seat, running through their brief pre-flight quickly, keying up the communicators.

"Commander - in case we _don't_ come back, don't go by the sim scores for who takes over for me. Commander Lychros is going to be the best option to take over training," he told them. "Think I left a note in my records, but things get lost."

"Understood, Major," Feral nodded to him. "I am counting on you to finish the training."

"Believe me, Commander, I'm partial to that idea myself," Chance said dryly. "See you in a few days. We'll send word back as soon as there's something to talk about."

"Be sure you do," Feral said before the shuttle lifted off, it's unique propulsion system warping space around them in a very unsettling display for those on the outside.

"I'll be with you the entire time," Sara's voice came in over the comm. "They won't know what hit them."

"Assuming they don't have sensors in the ground," Chance agreed. "Keep an ear out for any contact attempts, we might not pick up the frequency they're using."

"The crawlers are lighter than you are," she told them. "It is most unlikely that they will be detected if you were not."

"Yeah, but something trying to burrow around under the floor might," Chance offered. "At any rate, let's get going... sooner this is over, the sooner we can get back, one way or the other," he said, speeding up into the darkening sky.

"If they do, let's just hope their first thought isn't something they aren't hardened against," Jake said as they left the atmosphere. "Nukes don't have to be very close to do enough damage."

"Here's hoping," Chance nodded. "So... any more thoughts about the kits?"

"It's going to be an adjustment, but with Turmoil's, it's _so_ much preferable to her family. With Mayrie's ... I'm hoping plenty of quality time with my grandmother can straighten out that boy's head."

"I think a little reality will help, but she'll do a job too," Chance nodded. "May's a bit of a problem too, she's just not so blatant about it."

"Any hint how Carrie's going to react?" he asked.

"She'll probably be fine - she's young enough to adjust pretty well," Chance smiled. "The other two have had a lot more of it, especially from Tom."

"Do you know if Tom hates you or the sleeping with guys thing more?"

"Hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure it's the 'sleeping with guys' thing," Chance explained. "We didn't really hate each other before or anything... a little sibling rivalry, but once he found out I sleep with guys, I became the Gay Brother. Which, of course, means I'm going to pick up STD's all over the place, use drugs, and probably be a pedophile," Chance muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Your hippy uncle is more likely to," Jake shook his head. "Those kits _so_ need to get away from him."

"We can't just haul them off," Chance pointed out. "But we can start pushing back a bit."

"Just what _is_ the custody arrangement?" Jake asked as he began to focus on the practical aspects.

"Mayrie has custody, he has them every other weekend and for a month in the summer," Chance said what he'd been told. "Jake, he might be a jerk, but he's still my brother - and _their_ father. As long as he's not hurting them, there's not much we can do about it... or much I want to. If you thought I was on the outs with the family after getting caught with a guy, imagine what'd happen if I was involved with taking Tom's kits away from him."

"At fourteen, the kits can choose who they live with, if they think of it," Jake said. "Or sue for emancipation. It's unlikely we can make much of a dent in Mitch's head by then, if he finds out."

"I'm not sure," Chance admitted. "I think he'll come around eventually... I just hope it's sooner, rather than later. The later he does, the harder things'll be for him. Just remember that if his sisters find out, he will too," Chance pointed out. "So we'll need to keep an eye on that sort of thing."

"Right," Jake nodded, watching the moon slowly grow larger. "How are you with what dating Mayrie is going to do to you? You know she's not going to be okay with you sleeping around," he said quietly, glancing at his partner. "Not even when we're out of town or time."

"How many girls am I likely to find who _would_ be?" Chance pointed out. "I'll still have you," he smiled, looking over at Jake. "And in cases like Turmoil's... we're going to have to come up with standing permission for those 'if you don't, I put a bullet through your brain' situations. If it reaches the point where I have to choose between being faithful to her and coming home to my mate and kits at the end of the day, I know which one I'm picking."

"Not the kind who want kits, I expect," Jake admitted. "And I am _so_ with you on that one. I get the feeling that Mayrie wouldn't be happy, but she'd forgive you as long as you told her fairly soon."

"As soon as I got home, and got her away from the frying pans," Chance smirked. "I'll live though. Just because I'm not playing around, doesn't mean I can't still enjoy myself. Besides, probably healthier for me in the long run, right? Less odds of hooking up with a real psycho-bitch or something."

"Yes, it's healthier and safer in the long run," Jake agreed. "Has she said anything about wanting to restrict my activities?"

"Honestly, I didn't think to ask about it," Chance admitted. " _We're_ not even officially dating yet," he pointed out.

"Somehow, I get the feeling this is going to move _way_ too slowly, and I'll still be shocked when the wedding comes around," Jake smiled over at his partner. "We'll have a small mountain of legal paperwork to do when you are serious with her. Rewriting our wills, filing next of kin paperwork for you...."

"Of which I can handle the bulk of," Sara reminded them.

"Once we decide what the changes are," Jake chuckled.

"Meg'll be glad to help with some of it too," Chance chuckled. "She never was too hot on being set up as my beneficiary in the places she was. Though, seriously, my next-of-kin might change, but my own kits are going to end up on a lot of it."

"That's how it should be," Jake agreed. "They'll inherit some from me, with the rest going first to Michael, then back to my family. Probably to the kit you have with my mother. At least until we have kits of our own that survive."

"That still sounds weird," Chance smiled, shaking his head a bit. "Mostly... Mayrie and the kits have other options. My kits, I'm the only blood-kin they've got, at least who they ought to have anything to do with. Jake... have you ever thought about moving off the front line a bit sooner than expected?"

"Thought about it, not really," he shook his head. "But I don't object to it. The last few months have reminded me just how much I love design work. I can walk away from being a gunner any time."

"It may end up happening sooner, rather than later. Either I'll reach the point where the risk just isn't worth it, having a family to raise, or Tom'll decide to rat me out. Either way, it'll mean a desk at best."

"You can get work you enjoy more than desk work anytime you want it, buddy," Jake reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Test pilot or trainer, or even working directly with me."

"We'll see about it," Chance smiled. "And I was counting training as a desk job - after the last month or two, it's about the same thing," he chuckled.

"Picky, picky," Jake laughed. "At least you get air time when training."

"Yeah, yeah," Chance laughed. "But really, not as much as I ought to," he winked. "Test piloting would be better though - don't get shot at as much."

"But you're much more likely to die young," Jake pointed out. "It's only marginally safer than front line combat pilot, and that's only when you're flying _my_ designs. Other folks aren't nearly as good."

"True... we'll figure something out though," Chance shrugged slightly. "Not going to be an issue _that_ soon, I'm still not sure about the idea."

"I'd expect at least a year or two before a wedding," Jake glanced at him to see how far off his estimate was.

"At _least_ ," Chance nodded with a chuckle. "So - what have you been up to, working with all those designers?"

"Pretty much what always happens," Jake grinned with a kind of euphoric glint in his eyes. "We stop talking any language but Engineer -- a hybrid of Math, Mechanics and Science -- after the first few hours. Time doesn't matter, the whole place is jazz with excitement. Even when we're desperate and over our heads, it's ... you know how you described what it was like when you were focused on a shot? What you're doing is the only thing that exists, but with design, it's creative energy."

Jake blushed a bit and ducked his head. "I'm really lousy at describing it. I know it's _exactly_ how one of my cousins talks about his music. For all the energy you're putting into it, you're getting more back, and it's a hell of a rush."

"You feed off of each other," Chance smiled. "So, what's going to be coming out of this, beyond the obvious?"

"Cars, hoverbike, a clean replacement for nuclear power, dozens of weapons, space travel, a space station, self-cleaning fabric, three variants on stealth tech, massive holographic advancements, medical tech and probably a few things I missed."

"Gonna be _real_ interesting once we get home," Chance chuckled. "What sort of understanding do you have of the space-warping tech? I had an idea for a close-quarters weapon that might work with it. Be a good trump card, if we could figure it out."

"It's arguably one of my specialties, given the tesseract in the TurboKat, though I actually get a lot of the technological background I didn't have before. I don't know how fast I could make a close-quarter's weapon, but give me as much as you have and I'll work on it."

"Well, a knife basically works by spreading out whatever it's being stabbed through already - I was thinking that if there was a way to package that tech inside a knife, you might be able to make one that can basically cut through pretty much anything that was actually physical - stretch out the material until it could cut through."

"I'm not sure about a knife, but the search and rescue applications are huge, and I could definitely get it into something the size if the Jaws of Life," Jake said, his mind turning it over. "I'm sure I can work out something that qualifies for close-quarters, even if it's bigger than a knife."

"Probably would be, at least at first," Chance chuckled. "I'm not exactly clear on how big these gadgets have to be," he teased. "But yeah, it'd be somewhere to start. Even if it was a bit bigger, it might turn out handy if we have to get somewhere in the big ships when the time comes."

"Mmm, I'm sure I can get it small enough to be useful for that," Jake said thoughtfully. "It would probably be more like a heavy blaster pistol in size."

"Still fits in the hand," Chance nodded. "That's the main thing. As long as we could control what it works on... at any rate, just something to ponder over. This tech they use seems like it could be used for a thousand different things... who knows, they might even have a few tricks we haven't thought of."

"If they've had it for any length of time, I'm sure they do," Jake chuckled. "I just wish he'd choose a less hate-filled example. Just like we'll probably blow their minds on some of our uses. That's how pretty much all tech is when it's been isolated."

"Very true," Chance chuckled grimly. "Well, with any luck, that's their crowning glory, and we've got tricks _they_ don't to trot out... besides magic, at any rate. You have anybody on your team who works with it?"

"One," he nodded. "Technomages are rare, only five who aren't Omegas," Jake said. "Despite what keeps being said about me, I'm not one of them."

"I'm still not sure about that," Chance teased, causing Jake to roll his eyes. "What's he got to say about all of this?"

Jake couldn't help but crack up. "Oh Gods, if you think I babble in odd languages when I get going, _he_ does that to _me_. Only he has spells that let him go without sleep unhindered for weeks, lucky bastard."

"Yeah, bit it means _he_ doesn't have an excuse to be rescued by his big, buff boyfriend once in a while," Chance purred.

"True," Jake grinned over at him. "You know, we _do_ have a couple hours to kill...."

"You've got the oomph?" Chance chuckled. "We were pretty thorough this morning, after all."

"Yes," he stood and turned Chance's chair to the side, then knelt to nuzzle him. "At least to get a snack."

* * *

"We're approaching the drop point - have to do anything to arm the 'bugs'?" Chance asked Jake as the alarm beeped to warn them it was time to be up and ready for potential action.

"It's all from this control panel," Jake said, his body tensing slightly at the prospect of action. "They are when they activate to move."

"Just wanted to check," Chance nodded. "Drop zone in five... four... three... two... here we are," he said, pulling the shuttle to a stop above the drop zone. "Nothing on sensors; we managed to come in through their sensor shadow, with any luck."

"And the bugs are away," Jake reported. "Hold for them to get moving," he added, watching the readouts from the fifty-pound crawling nuclear bombs as they powered up and began to move towards their goal.

It wasn't long before Chance saw just how well-camouflaged they were against visual detection. Their coloring matched the lunar surface perfectly.

"When do they go subterranean?" Chance asked him.

"When they get close," Jake said. "They'll burrow under the base, then go off. Let's go get shot at," he sighed.

"Hey, it's a living," Chance joked, taking off for the coordinates of the base, going up high so that sensors could pick them up more easily once they were a safe distance from the bugs.

"Broadcasting on all frequencies and the language from their manual," Jake said. "Even if we can't pronounce it, the text should be clear enough."

"If they respond, I am ready to correct the pronunciation," Sara spoke up.

"Any sign of a response, on any of the frequencies?" Chance asked Sara as the base came into sight. "The message _does_ include the warning, doesn't it?" He checked with Jake.

"Of course," he nodded even as a signal came in.

"Translating," Sara told them. "And adjusting. They are demanding you land and surrender."

"Aaaand that would be our escort coming in," Chance frowned as he saw the ships hitting their radar. "Jake? Ready to give them an appropriate response?"

"Yes," he scowled. "I'd _really_ hoped they'd be more reasonable."

"Maybe they just want their ship back?" Sara sounded hopeful.

"Let them know we're willing to exchange this shuttle for our craft, in working order, but they have to call back their escort first," Chance told her. "And we leave after changing vessels. We'll give 'em the chance."

"Transmitting the offer," she said.

Jake could almost feel her wince a minute later.

"They repeated the demand to surrender," she reported. "And a few words I'm not sure of, but I believe were expletives given placement and tone relative to the rest."

"Right then," Chance said grimly. "Sounds like time for the universal 'no deal,' Jake," he said, spotting the enemy ships coming over the curve of the moon.

"Just remember that we're still outclassed," Jake said as his body went tense for the fight to come. "Surprise that we're well armed won't last long."

"Don't worry - a quick 'hello' so they think we're all that came up here, and we're heading home, this time without a time-trip in the bargain. I'm going to bust their formation."

"Good," Jake nodded, powering up the weapons and prepping the missiles. "Ready when you are."

"Hit the leader... now!" Chance barked out, accelerating towards the wing that was coming for them, then pulling a sharp loop to place himself in the middle of the V they'd formed into as Jake opened fire with weapons that hadn't been on the shuttle the last time their opponents had seen it.

"Two down, three damaged," Sara reported.

"That ought to get the point across," Chance muttered, pulling into a sharp reversal and using the guns he had control over to fire a few shots, scattering the rest of the formation. "Push the attack while we're here, or get out?"

"Get out," Jake said firmly. "Before the base weapons power up on us."

"Gladly," Chance nodded, peeling off and away. "Sarah, broadcast a warning that any unannounced entry into our atmosphere will be interpreted as a hostile act; we're out of here."

"Done," she replied. "They are not happy."

"That we expected," Jake said grimly. "Let's just hope they don't detect the bugs until it's too late."

" _I_ hope all the calculations on the rotational and orbital effects are accurate," Sara said.

"What?" Chance asked, focusing on his flying and evading their attacks.

"According to our best calculations, the effects will be negligible," Sara assured him. "However, it is a complex enough event, with enough unknown parameters, that there is a small possibility that the explosions could alter the moon's position, orbit or rotation."

"Very, _very_ small chance," Jake added, firing on their pursuers. "Sara really does not like any possibility of unforeseen consequences."

"These are not unforeseen," she retorted.

"Fine, you hate negative consequences," Jake told her.

"Gods, you two are _such_ an old married couple," Chance groaned. "And you officially have permission to say 'I told you so' if our next mission is trying to put the moon back in place," Chance promised her. "Loudly and often. For now, we'll go with this, and let the astrologers sue for the consequences."

"We are not," the pair retorted in unison, causing the tabby to laugh despite the persistent fighter still trying to keep up with them as they left the moon's gravitational field.

He pulled down under the last fighter, letting Jake squeeze off a few shots into his underside. Holes punched through its hull, the ship turned back for repairs rather than following them further.

"Let's head home," Chance said, heading back for Aristal.


	44. A Dinner for Three

"If you don't want to cook, you don't have to," Chance offered, scratching Jake's shoulders lightly as the cinnamon tom got things out in the kitchen for their dinner later. "Mayrie's not going to worry about it, especially with the days we've both been having."

The suggestion made Jake pause and consider his partner, then the kitchen. "She's a good cook, right?"

"Yes, or at least from everything I've heard," Chance chuckled. "You don't handle three kits on your own without being one."

"Do you know what she'd like?" he asked and started to put the cooking supplies away.

"From the sound of things, anything even a little bit fancy would be more than she's used to... maybe the Golden Phoenix? They'd have the delivery here before she was, we'd have time to reheat and set it out nicely."

"Sure," Jake nodded. "You order, I'll get the table ready."

"Sounds good," Chance smiled, going to get the cell phone and the menu they kept around. He picked out a few of the less exotic dishes, ordering for the three of them, and gave them the number of his bank card to pay for it before hanging up.

"If y'want to go dutch on this, you can transfer some cash to me later," Chance told Jake as he came in to help him set up the table. "By the way, turns out that you've got another connection to the family we didn't know about. Isn't Whitestar that guy you've grumbled about over the last few years?"

"Yes, he's my main competition for inventor of my generation," Jake nodded curiously.

"That's what I thought," Chance nodded. "Turns out his daughter is Carrie's best friend."

That raised an eyebrow. "Would Carrie be in any AP classes?"

"AP Math and Science, think she said something about a group called FEW," Chance explained. "She's a smart kit, could be real trouble at science fairs," he grinned.

"Future Engineers of the World," Jake chuckled. "I've probably met her before then. So many faces, I don't remember most of them."

"Met her?" Chance asked him. "I didn't know you'd worked with school groups."

"I don't," Jake shook his head as he finished setting the table for three. "The FEW is a worldwide organization I give as much time as I can to. They're the only reason I learned to socialize at all, and was a godsend when I went to collage as young as I did. It's kinda like Mensa, but with different entrance requirements. Arguably more elite too, since you have to show talent and not just a high IQ."

Chance let out a low whistle.

"Well, that explains a bit about why she was so interested in you... and it's in keeping with what Mayrie said about her being interested in design work. Though when you do meet her, she'd probably appreciate it if you found a way to nudge May away from the dangerous stuff in design. She's been trying to work her away from the fascination with guns and explosives."

"I'll see what I can do," Jake nodded and moved to the couch in front of the widescreen plasma TV to wait for Mayrie to come. "Explosives are easier to guide away from than guns. At the very least I can teach her to be safe with them."

"It'll be a start," Chance chuckled, joining him on the couch. "At any rate, I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. Any other advice you want before she's here?"

"Any plans for this ending up in bed?" Jake glanced up at him.

"Not plans," Chance chuckled. "If it happens, it happens, but I'd be a little surprised. She'll probably be feeling a little awkward, with this being a three-way meeting."

"And probably the most complex relationship setup she's ever thought of," Jake chuckled and tried to relax. "Will it be the strangest date you've been on?"

"Believe it or not, no," Chance laughed. "That would have been a running gunfight with a date on the Lothos border; they attacked the Cantina when they found out my squad was there. I actually managed to get laid after that one too," he smirked. "Saving a girl's life is a good ice-breaker."

Jake couldn't help it, he lost it, laughing hard enough he didn't hear the knock on the door.

Chance did though, laughing along with his mate as he stood to go let Mayrie in.

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked her with an honest grin. "Things go well, Ryan was there to take the kits?"

"Yes," she nodded, peaking around his broad frame to see the lean tom still laughing hard on the couch. "Jake's family sure has money."

"This is all Jake's, not his family's," Chance chuckled, stepping aside to let her in. "And some of mine, obviously. But yeah, they've done pretty well, all things considered."

"What does his family do?" she asked as he shut the door and Jake turned to lean over the back of the couch. "I saw the brownstone his mother owns."

"She's the head of R&D at MASA," Chance smiled as it sunk in for her that Jake's mother was a literal rocket scientist. "Her mother, Ryan, is an artist. Yeah, he's from a family of people who are far too talented."

"Pity he can't have kits," she murmured, then smiled and walked over to the couch. "Sorry if I'm early...."

"Not a problem," Jake grinned at her. "Have a seat. We're waiting on dinner to be delivered."

"He was going to cook, but we've both had a long day," Chance smiled, sitting down on the opposite side of Mayrie as Jake. On a normal couch, it would be a bit cramped, but on the large L shaped one, they had plenty of space. "It should be here any time. Hope this isn't all too strange for you."

"Golden Kingdom food," Jake added.

"If you can eat it, I'm sure I'll be fine," she told Chance. "Even if I don't recognize it. Just warn me if something is going to leave chemical burns."

"Not at all," Chance promised. "If you decide you like the place, we can send a menu home with you. How've the kits been?"

"All three of them are still talking about flying," she rolled her eyes tolerantly. "At least until their father gets them again, you've graduated from their 'gay uncle' to 'the uncle with all the cool stuff'."

"It's progress," Chance chuckled. "I expect Tom'll want to cream me after he gets them next, of course... hope he won't be trouble for you. I can see several ways it could end up going poorly."

"He probably will be furious, but he only has himself to blame," she admitted, noticing the way Jake tensed slightly. "You're just a bit protective of him," she observed, looking at Jake.

"He is my partner," Jake said simply.

"This predates dating?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it does," Chance nodded. "It's an Enforcer thing. We're big on protecting our own, especially our partners and squadmates."

"The people you count on for survival every day at work," she guessed.

"Yes," Jake nodded. "Most Enforcers are closer to their squad than they are to their families, and I've got enough people who'd take any opportunity to have something on me that I'm more paranoid than most about it."

"Jake, I can take him if I have to. He's not going to get his buddies involved unless he thinks I've done something to Mitch - and Mitch knows better than to say anything that'd give him that idea. Unless it went that far, he'd rather handle it privately than bring his friends in on dealing with me. Right now, he's protecting his kits, just doesn't realize there's nothing to protect them against."

"Is he likely to ever realize it?" Jake nodded and made a point of settling himself.

"I hope so, but it's been a while," he said, glancing at Mayrie. "What do you think?"

"The better things go for us, the less likely he'll be to accept it," she sighed. "You'll be taking over his role as father and husband, and he'll never deal well with that. He's hated you as long as I've known him, and it's only gotten worse as he's had less and less to make him keep it in check."

"Wonderful," Chance muttered. "On the bright side, I've had nastier people than him after me before; I should be okay... I just hope he doesn't try taking the kits from you."

"Fortunately, the law makes that very difficult, particularly if I have a steady boyfriend and he's alone," she said, more aware than she really wanted to be of it.

"He doesn't have a prayer of pulling it off," Jake said with an even certainty.

"Like I said at the dinner, he couldn't afford the lawyers," Chance nodded. "I just know that things can get screwy when judges hear that the boyfriend in question has had boyfriends in the past."

"It probably can," she admitted. "Fortunately he has very little that he can say about me, and not even Mitch talks about wanting to live with him long-term. At their age, what the kits want does play a huge role."

"At fourteen they can sue for emancipation, and can largely control which parent they live with," Jake added, surprising her a bit.

"You learn this stuff with a second generation single parent by choice, and when you have to know it to attend school full time," Jake explained. "May's in FEW, right?"

"Yes," she nodded, looking at Jake curiously.

"Mensa too?"

"Yes," Mayrie nodded again.

"She's probably bright enough to pull the same stunt I did, graduating college before most graduate high school," Jake explained. "I think we may have crossed paths at FEW events before, but we weren't anyone special to each other then."

"It _is_ a good living he made," Chance nodded. "He went Enforcer because he'd been trying for years."

"And I'll probably go back when I retire from active duty," Jake added.

"I'm sure, but there's no need to push her that hard," Mayrie countered. "I'd rather she start on college courses naturally, and paid for by the high school."

"I wasn't sure how she felt about it," Chance smiled. "I know I was fine with going through High School... if she gets through a little ahead of schedule, great, but I wouldn't worry about it. The only issue, of course, is that given who her hero is, she might want to try following in his footsteps," he pointed out, nodding towards Jake.

"When she has to start paying for school, I know the ins and outs of the scholarship system," Jake offered. "She's in a good position for several major ones."

"Trust me, nobody's better at the Fin Aid game than Jake is, from what I've seen," Chance chuckled, getting up to get the food when the doorbell rang. "We'll be ready soon," he said as he went to the kitchen to put their meal into serving dishes while they sat down.

"It comes with the territory," Jake chuckled, sniffing the air to get a clue what had been ordered. "Chance has given you the basic warnings, that while unlikely, we can get called into action with little warning."

"He has," she nodded, taking a sniff herself.

"Barbecued lamb with chermoula, mint tea, and raisin-nut harost balls," Chance said as he brought the dishes to the table and put them in the center.

"It smells wonderful," Mayrie smiled. "Do you eat from here often?"

"Not that often, but we both acquired a taste for the region's food during MegaWar II, when we were stationed in Traveris," Jake said.

"Did you pick up a taste for Lothosian food while you were there?" she asked Chance as she served herself.

"Some," Chance nodded. "Not a major thing for me, but once in a while it's pretty good. Most of my meals over there were MRE's, so they'd have had a hard time competing for _less_ appetizing at the time," he laughed.

"It's meant to be eaten with the fingers, but we won't hold you to that," Jake cracked a grin at her.

"Thank you," Mayrie said drolly. "So I know Chance has been to Lothos and Traveris, and you've been to Traveris, but where else have the two of you spent time?"

"I was stationed on the Diqui border for a while, but not too much else," Chance admitted. "I've managed to be domestic for the most part."

"Oh Kats, where _haven't_ I been?" Jake groaned with a chuckle. "Let's see. As an Enforcer; twice in Traveris. As a civilian, I've been assigned to Tusandrin, Keldina, Balkita, Beticris, Salucia, Imitia, Veldt, Xacal and Xenquii ... as least those would be the highlights."

Mayrie stilled, her mouth open in shock. "What did you do, to be sent all those places?"

"I designed custom aircraft and security vehicles," Jake said. "I may love working on fighters, but I'm very good at grasping what a difficult customer wants and making it happen. So I was sent on all the difficult contracts."

"Which is where most of this - and his contacts - came from," Chance smiled. "Though I'm still not sure how he made it without a regular babysitter," he teased.

"Patent royalties can bring in a very tidy income," Jake said. "So do selling the results of my workshop. Even as an Enforcer, I haven't completely left Aerospace."

"You seem to be doing _very_ well for yourself, either way," Mayrie agreed. "What are these big projects you've been working on lately? If you can say," she added.

"I can't say, other than that they're for the Enforcers," Jake shook his head between bites. "It's pretty high security, even by my standards."

"It has to do with what I mentioned at Mom's place," Chance explained. "And no, I didn't give her any details," he reassured Jake. "We actually just got back from slowing the bad guys down pretty seriously."

"Which, thankfully, turned out pretty well," Jake added.

"I take it you know that Chance and I have had some time together," Mayrie focused on Jake, knowing tonight was really about her getting to know him, rather than catching up on someone she'd once dated. "I understand you were behind Chance looking for a girlfriend. Why?"

"Primarily self-preservation, and knowing what would happen without a second mate would do to Chance," Jake nodded towards his partner. "You dated him, you know what his libido is like."

Mayrie couldn't help but giggle. "Very well."

"Even before I had my balls removed in Traveris," Jake opened, only to be cut off.

"Dear gods," Mayrie's eyes went wide in abject horror.

"I've pretty much gotten over it," Jake tried to calm her down. "Even before that I wasn't that interested in sex, and I was pretty even between toms and fems for the half dozen times I year I'd be motivated enough to accept a date. After it, I'm pretty exclusive to toms, and once or twice a year. It doesn't take much math to work out I'd gotten laid more often in the first week with Chance than in the ten years prior."

"I can easily imagine," she nodded, still trying to digest how he could accept what had been done to him.

"It was twenty years ago, Mayrie," Jake tried to help her. "I was never father material to start with. Sire, possibly, but I'm not cut out to be a father."

Jake caught the look Chance gave him. "It's not the same."

"You said you'd help raise her, and you thought you'd be enough of one to make sure ours survive when the time's right," Chance frowned at him.

"And I'll do my best," Jake promised. "That doesn't change that I don't think I'm suited to be a father."

Chance almost choked on the bite of lamb he was working on, giving Jake an incredulous look.

"Or is it husband?" Mayrie asked gently, assessing Jake's reaction as he blinked and stared at her. "Is it you don't think you'd be a suitable husband?"

"I know I'm not," Jake shrugged, though there was pain in his voice. "Not unless I end up with someone like my mother, who's as fixated on her career and doesn't really care about the bedroom. Finding out that I'm sterile just reinforced that idea."

"Jake, there's more to being a husband than the sex life," Chance frowned. "Looks like it worked out pretty well except for the little disasters that got thrown at us in our last trip forward. And did you forget our civilian time back in MWII?"

"There's also time at home," Jake pointed out. "If we _didn't_ work together, how much would you actually see me?"

"The workaholic's more of an issue," Chance admitted. "But we seem to have dealt with it pretty well. I just don't want you cutting yourself down, okay?"

"I'm just realistic about what I have to offer," Jake countered, though Chance could see he'd made his point and it had been accepted. "We're going to find out how well I adapt to family life very soon," he pointed out. "I'm just glad my grandmother's willing to take care of her when need be."

"Glad to hear you have supportive kin," Mayrie smiled. She glanced at Chance and he nodded. "Chance and I talked briefly about hiring me as a nanny for her, either just during the day, or potentially as a live in, eventually."

"Instead of your current job?" Jake cocked his head at her, running scenarios in his head.

"Yes," she nodded. "I thought that I could take her when you were both on duty, the kits could spend a few hours here a day, getting used to it, and everyone getting used to each other. Maybe stay for dinner sometimes, but I'd take them home afterwards at the latest, for our family time and put them to bed."

She paused when he rocked back slightly. "Moving a little fast?"

"A little," Jake admitted with a weak smile. "I'm still trying to grasp that my partner's a father and I'm going to help raise _one_ kit. I know a girlfriend was my idea, but it's not that real yet. I'm more than a little possessive of my space too," he kind of apologized. "Even four years later, I'm still infamous around HQ as the cadet who nearly killed several commandos trying to pick him up for Lost Day. You haven't met it yet, but this place has quite a security system."

"Which can be taught to recognize the people who it shouldn't work on very easily," Chance reassured her. "But we might want to go a little slower than that, at least at first... it's still going to be a little bit before the kits are born, so it'd be good to meet yours first, but we both knew it was going to be a lot to suggest up front."

"I've been working on modifying it to use gentle resistance to stop entry to off-limits areas since I learned we'd have a kitten coming," Jake added. "There are places, like my workshop here, that are just not safe for kittens to be in unsupervised."

"You say that like it's safe for anyone," Chance smirked. "Probably work better if Ryan helps out, to start."

"She raised two kits on her own, and raised two others while my mom worked," Jake added. "She'll be the primary caretaker of Mom's new kit by Chance too. A second infant will be easy for her to handle."

"You have an unusual family," Mayrie said with a shake of her head.

"It started with Ryan, my grandmother," Jake said. "She lost her first husband to MegaWar II, her second was a cop that was killed in the line of duty, all before she turned thirty. Even though she had two toddlers, she decided not to marry again. My mom never moved out of the family home, and when she started thinking about have a kit, grandma agreed to raise it so mom could continue to work. Taking the time off from MASA to raise me would have really hurt her career. When my sister came along twenty years later they did the same thing, and will with my new sibling. So it's kind of natural to me to ask grandma to help raise the kit Chance is bringing home."

"It'd be good to meet her some time," Chance mentioned. "She'll like you."

"Nice to know you think so," Mayrie smiled at him. "I did spend about half an hour with her when I dropped the kits off. I know she's your kin," she turned to Jake, "but I want to know who are taking care of mine."

"Good," Jake brightened. "What did you think of her?"

"She definitely knows how to control difficult kits," she smiled.

"She _did_ raise me," Jake couldn't help but laugh. "And far worse too. If she couldn't handle difficult, she would have never survived it."

"And your kits aren't _that_ difficult, from what I've seen," Chance chuckled. "Though I never did help put them to bed."

"We'll have to fix that soon, I think," she winked with a teasing grin. "Too bad they're all past the age where I have to bath them and change diapers. You could really get a feel for parenthood."

"I am _so_ making that holotech work," Jake shuddered. "It'll be worth it to avoid diaper duty."

"You've got a month and a half or so, before Turmoil delivers," Chance teased him playfully.

"I'll make it," Jake said firmly.

"What do you think about letting May watch?" Mayrie asked, seizing on the opening to get her daughter in with a prominent designer.

"If she wants, as long as it doesn't interfere with her schooling," Jake nodded agreeably. "She's a very bright girl, and creative if she's in FEW."

"Oh, she is," Chance chuckled. "Question for both of you - think it'd be easier to just move somewhere larger, if this all works out?"

"Unless we find a really sweet deal, I'm more inclined to buy the other condos on this level and turning them into one home, like I did with this and the one that had been below us," Jake said. "After the work and cost in setting this one up, I really don't care to do it again unless there is a big advantage, like a sizeable property for an air strip and riffle and bomb range. But then we're looking at a bitch of a commute."

"Point," Chance nodded. "How big a hit would that end up being?"

"Each of the three condos on this level are the size of this floor of ours, plus we'd gain control of the hallway," Jake said, then turned to Mayrie. "Given the resources we bring to the board, I am a millionaire several times over in my own right, and Chance has a lot more than he thinks, how often would you want to have kits?"

She tried not to show how shocked she was at the wealth he was talking about so casually. "Honestly, I'd be pregnant every cycle if I could, but a litter every couple years if I can."

"I don't think about it beyond making sure I balance the books on my mad money and try staying in the black," Chance admitted to her quietly. "About the same split you had with yours?"

"Every two years," she clarified. "Once the litter is done nursing and is potty trained."

"You really like kittens," Jake murmured, shocked beyond any other reaction.

"What if you've got somebody else's that year?" Chance asked. "Jake and I know that we're probably going to try having some, part of getting the tech right."

"With or without a litter of my own, they'd be welcome," she smiled at him. "Breastfeeding really is better for kits, but I found out last year that it only takes a day for me to produce milk again, even without being pregnant. These," she cupped her breasts, "really respond to being suckled."

"Have you really thought about what managing that big a family would be?" Jake asked, still struggling to grasp her desire.

"He's a single kit," Chance smiled in understanding.

"Between nine and thirty-six kits at a time, if they move out at eighteen," she nodded. "Probably closer to the dozen mark, given my history so far."

"Which is big for a Furlong family, but not unheard of... well, okay, it is, but only because of finances," Chance admitted. "There _is_ always the option of stopping if we think it's too much," he offered.

"Of course," Mayrie hurriedly agreed with an utterly embarrassed expression. "I never meant to imply otherwise. Just answer your question."

"I understand," Jake said calmly. "You two may be from families like that. My history is as far from where you are as things can get short of outright eugenics. I'm still working on the idea that you'd want a litter before the first was out the door."

"It wouldn't start right away," Mayrie promised him. "Honest."

"Mayrie," Jake focused on her. "Calm down. I'm not against it. I just need some time to process it."

"He does 'rational' really well," Chance promised her, smiling and kissing her cheek lightly. "He'll figure out what he's comfortable with, we'll figure out a happy medium."

"Yes, I do, and we will," Jake agreed.

"So ... a topic I think you're more comfortable with?" she glanced between the pair. "I know I'm okay with guy on guy in theory, as an idea. I've never seen it though."

"Oh, Jake has _no_ problems with showing you, if you want," Chance snickered. "He's a shameless exhibitionist, as long as he's the one on the bottom. Actually, that brings up a question - I know you'll want me to basically treat this as a closed triad. Do you want the same rules for Jake? It's not likely to come up too often, but sometimes he likes putting on a show."

Mayrie considered him, what she knew and her own expectations. "As long as it stays outside the bedroom I sleep in, I don't think so," she decided. "As I understand it, you aren't looking to be sleeping with me, and you both take your health seriously."

"Sex, no," Jake agreed. "If asked, I'm not totally against the idea, but I'm not interested in a traditional triad. I just want some time with him now and then."

"Which does bring up sleeping arrangements," she glanced between the guys. "Have you thought about it at all? All three in one bed, the odd one out on a given night elsewhere, Chance moving beds...."

"Honestly, I kinda prefer one bed for the three of us, but I know that's probably gonna be awkward a lot of the time," Chance admitted. "You guys have preferences?"

"I figured it's one of those things we'd figure out as we go," Jake admitted. "I expect that Chance changing beds is the least awkward, but I'm honestly not sure how attached I am to sleeping with him there."

"A fair answer," she nodded. "I agree with both, and it probably will come down to what you need," she looked at Jake. "I may be his public relationship, but we all know you came first. I think we all know that you two could find a female that would let you keep things open too."

"Yeah, I probably know a couple of them already, but that's not a condition I'm looking for, Mayrie," Chance promised her. "We'll figure it out, okay? Just... not all tonight," he chuckled.

"So how about we find out how much I have to work on with you two making out?" she suggested. "I do _not_ want the kits to see me react badly to it."

"Out here, or somewhere more comfortable?" Chance asked with a purr, finishing up his dinner.

"If it's just making out, I'd think out here," Jake chuckled.

"I was thinking on the couch," Mayrie smiled. "I can let myself out when you get too far."

"Or he can switch attention to you," Jake winked at her playfully.

"Always an option," Chance purred, picking up the dishes. "You two go get comfortable, I'll be right out," he winked.

Jake chuckled and relaxed on the couch, while Mayrie took a seat in an overstuffed chair facing him.

Chance was back in just a few more moments, sitting down next to Jake and wrapping an arm around his waist.

"If this _does_ go anywhere beyond making out, I'm okay with you staying to watch," he told Mayrie. "Jake?" He asked, giving his mate a tender kiss.

"As long as you want," he flushed and shifted to press up against Chance for another, longer kiss. "Or to stop us."

"I'm glad you're both okay with an audience," she smiled, already a little uneasy. "I think I'm going to need to watch a fair bit before I don't react."

"I understand," Chance nodded, kissing Jake back, pulling him up into his lap. "I'm not about to complain about the practice," he grinned, before focusing more fully on his mate, and exploring his mouth during a particularly deep kiss.

"I'm sure," she couldn't help but chuckle nervously, watching with a mixture of growing arousal and queasiness as the pair explored each other's mouths, both their hands exploring the other's body. It was intensely hot to watch Chance do that to anyone, very easy to imagine herself in Jake's place, but every time she clicked onto the fact that it was _Jake_ receiving that attention, her stomach tried to knot itself.

"Hang on a sec," Chance said, pulling back from Jake and looking over at Mayrie. "Is it two guys? Or is it seeing me with somebody else, and still gettin' used to the idea?" He asked her.

"Two guys," she admitted. "Watching you with somebody is pretty hot," she smiled weakly. "It's when I realize that somebody is a guy it gets weird."

"Figured I'd check... think it'd be any easier if you weren't off by yourself?"

"More involved, less observer?" she asked, considering it.

"Yeah, so you're not feeling like you're outside of it all," he smiled. "It can get awkward when you're sitting on your own watching your friends make out, whoever they are."

She thought about it and nodded as she stood to join them on the couch, sitting down on the other side of the buff tabby and slid her arms around him to press against his back.

"You don't mind, I hope?" He purred, giving Jake a light kiss before turning to give Mayrie one. "If this doesn't work, maybe we can figure out something else."

"I don't mind," Jake smiled and nuzzled Chance's neck as his hands found their way to his groin. "Tag teaming the tabby?" he winked at Mayrie, who giggled.

"Mmm ... what _will_ I ever do with two of you?" Chance purred, kissing Jake, spreading his legs a bit.

"Surrender and be very well laid," Jake grinned to Mayrie's continued giggles as she claimed a hungry kiss from Chance.

"I like your ideas, Jake," she purred when she finally let Chance's head go.

"I'm partial to them myself," Chance purred, running a hand up Mayrie's back to massage her neck lightly as he kissed Jake, his other hand running down to rub the spot above his tail.

Jake rumbled, and Chance reveled in the arousal coming from both sides of him. What had he done to deserve this? Two incredible people in his life at once, both willing to share, both with him at the same time. There were a few wrinkles they had to work out, yes, but if there hadn't been ... well, he'd seen porns like that, but that was about it. Besides, these wrinkles he could live with. Every other girl he could think of, he _knew_ the issues would be worse, except _maybe_ Meg.

"Is it just me, or are we all wearing a bit too much right now?" He asked, slipping his fingers beneath the waist of Jake's pants.

"Just you," Mayrie teased him, sliding her hands down his chest while she claimed a kiss. "I think we need to make you beg for it."

"Lady's call," Jake winked at him before nibbling on his neck.

"Mmm ... you two can be evil," he groaned around Mayrie's lips, pressing his tongue into her mouth, tilting his head slightly to give Jake better access.

"And you love every minute of it," Jake chuckled against his neck and slid his hand down to cup his mate's crotch, lightly rubbing his palm flatly against Chance's swelling sheath.

"Mmm ... of course I do," Chance purred, closing his eyes and squeezing both of them, his cock hardening against Jake's hand quickly. Mayrie's hands rubbed his chest, her breasts firm against his back, and Jake rubbed against his sized and nibbled his neck.

"Come for us, baby," Jake rumbled.

Chance obliged them with a low groan, his cock surging in his pants as he felt his sticky seed collecting inside his shorts.

"Mmm ... somebody'd better be willing to clean that up," he purred, kissing them both deeply.

"I was thinking distracting you until you didn't care," Mayrie grinned, her fingers joining Jake's on his crotch, but lower, fondling his balls through his jeans.

"I can go with that," Jake agreed with a chuckle. "She did say until you begged."

"Depending on how much begging you guys want, that could take a while," Chance moaned, his hips pressing up into their hands instinctively s he felt his cum soaking into his fur. "Nicest torture I've ever been through though," he grinned unashamedly.

"Mayrie, what do you think about tying him up and having fun?" Jake grinned at her. "Keep him dressed until he begs for you?"

"If you make me go through more than I put you through, you're just being nasty," Chance laughed, giving her a quick kiss and moaning into her mouth as he was fondled by them both.


	45. A New Look

"How come you're so interested in getting me to go back to church?" Mitch asked Chance as they drove to the Temple of Halikar after morning services would have been over.

"I've been through enough to know they're very real, and that there is someone for everyone," he said. "Just because you don't get along with Bastet's priestesses doesn't mean you're bad, or that She is."

"But how do you know they're real?" Mitch asked him with a frown. "You 'feel' them?"

"I've talked to them, and gotten whacked a couple times for insolence," he admitted. "I wasn't the most tolerant Kat there for a few years."

"You're kidding, right?" Mitch asked him after a minute. "You mean the priests?"

"Them too, but I mean the real thing," he shook his head. "Call them gods, aliens, arch-mages or anything else you want, but Bastet, Halikar, Sheliel, Vuf and Tenoic are very real things. Most people call them gods, and that's what I go with. All a 'god' really is is a very powerful creature with a strong following among people and a set of rules for those followers."

"Uhm... okay...." He could probably guess what Mitch was thinking. Trying to figure out if he _was_ serious. Trying to figure out, if he was, if he was telling the truth, or if he was off his rocker.

Probably the same things he'd thought the first time he'd had a vision of Halikar in Lothos, and then had the vision warn him about a counter-sniper that was gunning for him.

Until the vision had been proven right. And the next one. The third time came with a lecture made in clear frustration.

The fourth time the Hawk-god of Aggressive Defense brought backup, the Lioness of War, Sheliel, and in their full glory standing three times his height. That time it was more than a vision. She had grabbed him by his backpack straps, lifted him up like he was nothing and demanded what it would take to make him believe.

He'd glared at her with the fearless defiance only adolescence could produce and said 'proof'.

Remembering her laugh still sent chills down his spine.

"Chance?" Mitch's concerned voice brought him back to reality, and Chance realized that they'd been sitting in the parking lot for a while.

"Just remembering what brought me from Atheist back to Halikar," he said quietly.

"Okay...." Mitch looked at him like he was crazy.

"It's a long story," Chance said, shaking his head. "If things go the way they did in the future I saw, the entire world's going to be getting a very obvious sign in the coming years. Come on, let's go on in ... maybe they'll be able to help you sort things out a bit more inside."

He didn't need to say that he'd gotten his ass handed to him by a mildly sadistic goddess, and he still had a set of three claw-scars on his chest as a daily reminder of it. That was a bit much right now. If it was important enough to any of the gods, he knew Mitch would get a first-hand lesson of his own.

"Okay, so if they went to all that trouble for you, why?" Mitch looked at him, all but daring him to have a valid answer.

"They said it was important," Chance shrugged slightly. "I'm still not sure, but I've taken the lumps to prove it, and enough people in my old squad saw parts of it too that I know I wasn't just going nuts."

"You seen them since?" Mitch asked, a bit more subdued as they walked into a building that couldn't be any more different from a temple of Bastet if it tried. The rows of benches were much the same, though they were stained a deep red rather than rich brown, but the rest of it held the air of a castle armory, built in blocks of gray stone with weapons and crests from all ages of the area's history on the walls.

"A couple times, usually when Jake and I were mixed up in some of the crazy stuff that's gone on in our lives," Chance explained, pausing in front of the display for the precinct's fallen Enforcers, checking for any new names, snapping off a respectful salute before he moved along.

"What was that about?" Mitch asked.

"Respect for fallen Enforcers in this precinct," he explained as he spotted an aging dark brown tabby tom with a white chest that had helped Chance years before when he'd returned from Lothos.

"Hello, Chance," the tom smiled at them and extended a hand to Mitch, who was staring at the chain mail-looking clothing with the prominent sun with a hawk flying out of it on his chest. "You must be the nephew he's told me about."

"Tom's son," Chance nodded as Mitch shook the priest's hand.

"Good to meet you," Mitch said, though it was clear he was saying it mostly to be polite; he wasn't nearly as comfortable as he tried to seem.

"I hope you still think that when you leave," he smiled. "I am Protector Sam. Would you like to talk here, or in more private surroundings?"

"Uhm... probably somewhere more private," Mitch said after a bit of time thinking about it.

"Would you like Chance there?" the Protector asked, knowing it could go either way.

"Uhm... not at first," Mitch said, glancing up at Chance. "If that's okay."

"Yeah, it's fine," Chance nodded easily. "I've had a lot of conversations on my own myself. I'll just wait out here."

"Maybe visit with some old friends," Sam smiled, nodding easily and guided Mitch through the main chamber, only a handful of people there in quiet contemplation. As they walked down a hallway he could hear the clang of metal weapons, blaster and gunfire.

"Feels a lot different from Bastet's Temples," Mitch offered, trying to place where the sounds of combat were coming from, and why Sam was so calm about it.

"Bastet is a mother, the keeper of the hearth and home," the Protector explained. "Halikar is Her defender. He prefers to be home, but His purpose is to protect those in his charge."

"Is that why I can hear fighting?" Mitch asked him.

"Yes, all priests of Halikar have to be ready to defend their protectorate, their neighborhood and city, with any weapons we may have at any moment," Sam explained. "Many of us are or were Enforcers in some branch, and we are all in the reserves. Firefighters are also common in our ranks."

"My sister would love it here," he snorted. "She's got a real thing for weapons."

"Perhaps she will," Sam smiled and opened a huge, heavy wooden arched double door and Mitch got a good look at a thick evergreen forest. "This is where we go when we want a peaceful place to talk, think or relax."

"It is nice... doesn't look like this would be in here, from the outside," he admitted, looking around, noticing a hawk perched in one of the trees. "Do you keep them here?"

"Not in the sense you mean," Sam smiled and guided him to the center of the small forest where there was a grassy clearing and several benches. "They are wild, free to come and go as they wish. We are merely happier than most to provide them with a roost."

"Not tied down, huh?" Mitch murmured, taking a seat on one of the benches. "Did Chance tell you anything about my Dad?"

"He told me that he divorced your mother, and even though he is providing support, it caused a great deal of tension with your mother's temple," Sam said as he sat down near the kit. "I've heard bits and pieces in my years of knowing Chance, but they are all from when they were both still living at home."

"Yeah... the priestesses kept talking about how he was being a lousy parent, even though he's always done his da- done his best to be fair to us."

"I can understand how that is a strain," Sam said gently. "Bastet has a very different sense a father's duties. Her focus is on providing for the kittens and making sure there are more. Until very recently, that was a very difficult thing if the father was not at home. As a warrior, Halikar understands that providing for family does not always mean being there."

"He _is_ there too," Mitch nodded. "They just never wanted to listen to that sorta thing. They always got mad when I'd argue about it with them. Mom doesn't really want to give him a chance either anymore."

"He lives with your mother?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"No, but... he's been hinting when we're with him, y'know?" Mitch explained. "I guess I can't blame her too much, it hurt a lot right after he left, but he's not as bugged out anymore."

"Is your mother aware of this?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I've mentioned it," he nodded. "She's hung up on his not liking... well, not liking gay guys."

"Like his brother," Sam said. "Do you know why she finds it so distasteful?"

"She thinks he's gonna end up getting us in trouble with it... I got slugged for saying something about it, but beyond that... maybe just because she likes Chance, I dunno."

Sam leaned back and considered him. "Could it be because she does not approve of hating someone that has not hurt you directly? Hating someone for being gay is no different from hating them because they are not a tabby, or are Kantin, or female, or shorter than you. Or because they are an Enforcer, or in service to a god. It does not produce any useful results, and does harm you. The energy you spend hating people is energy you can not spend helping yourself."

"But... it's not _right_ ," he said, wrapping his arms around himself slightly. "And the stuff that goes with it...."

"What business of yours?" Sam challenged him.

"It can be. Going after kits? Getting sick?"

"I see," Sam said evenly. "I suspect they neglected to mention that at least nine out of ten who go after kits are straight according to conviction records, and that disease is spread through multiple partners and unprotected sex. Those who frequent prostitutes are at most risk, and those who actively date, like both your parents, are the second most at risk. The rate of infection among the gay population reached its peak forty years ago. By thirty years ago they took better care of their sexual health than strait people. I have multiple reports from the medical industry, and private surveys, to back those statements up. What proof were you given?"

"It's - it's just...." Mitch struggled, trying to find some way to express what he'd been taught all his life, to the point where he _knew_ it, like he knew up from down. "They had other studies and stuff too, I just don't remember the names, it's been a while."

"I expect I do," Sam nodded. "You've been well-indoctrinated. I may disagree with some of their teachings, but I do have to admire how effective they are in controlling the masses. It does bring us back to the original question. What do _you_ gain from hating someone who has done nothing to you?"

"It's not really that I _hate_ them," Mitch said defensively. "I just... why do I have to like it?"

"You don't have to like it," Sam said simply. "I would expect you to treat them like they are worth the same respect as anyone else in their position. Not to judge others, lest others judge you just as worthy of contempt."

"They do that already," he pointed out, a little sullenly. "'Cause Mom's single, and a bunch of other things."

"So why sink to their level?" Sam asked. "You don't like it when they judge you for things that don't affect them, so why do you do it?"

"Everybody else does... but that's not a good reason," Mitch acknowledged, cutting off what he already knew Sam was going to say. "It's just... really hard, not to feel sick when I think about it, or when I'm looking at a guy and wondering."

"What do you wonder about?" Sam asked, honestly curious and more than a little suspicious of what he was going to hear, at least eventually.

"Uhm... if they're gay," he said, clearly hedging for a moment before he broke down and went further. "Or if they know that I might be," he trailed off awkwardly.

Sam smiled gently. "What makes you think you might be?" he encouraged the kit to talk.

"Well... sometimes I catch myself looking at guys. Got caught once," he admitted, ears flat, tail curled around his waist.

Sam put a supportive hand on Mitch's shoulder, causing the kit to glance up at him, and the reassuring expression on the older tabby's face. "Have you looked at pictures, of toms or fems, when you pleasure yourself?"

"I don't really do that yet," Mitch said, shaking his head. "Share the room with my sisters."

"I see," Sam nodded. "What do you feel, when you look at toms, that makes you think you might be gay?"

"Well... I'm just not interested in girls, that much, and when I _do_ look at guys... kinda feels the way they talk about feeling about girls," he explained.

"That does make it likely," Sam nodded. "Chance is someone that can make it easier for you. He knows how to stay out of trouble, and how to avoid the problems many young gays face."

"But I don't _want_ to be gay!" Mitch protested. "I just want to be normal!"

"We all want to be things we are not," Sam pointed out evenly. "You can accept what you are, what you believe to be true enough to speak to me about it, or you can pretend to be what you want to be, and live with the lie and its consequences. Each path has a cost, and a reward. It is up to the person to decide which is more important to them."

"And what's the upside? My Dad'd hate me, I'd get kicked off the teams, everybody'd try tearing me a new one...."

"Likely things that do not matter to you yet," Sam acknowledged. "Not hiding what you are from those closest to you, desiring your mate, not being afraid that people will learn what you have hidden as a terrible secret. Enjoying your life to it's fullest. They are things that matter more the older you get."

"Yeah, but enough that I should go throwin' out everything else? And Mom's not that easy about it either."

"That is a choice for each person to make," Sam told him. "Halikar approves of most gay relationships, he had a lifelong male lover during his mortal life, as was the warrior tradition of the time. You might be surprised how tolerant the Scouts and many schools are, as long as you do not make a show of yourself. A great deal has changed since your uncle was outed. Finding the tolerant troops and schools is something we can help with as well. This temple in particular has invested in keeping track of such things as helping those who need to find a safe place to learn and socialize. Not nearly as active as some, but we know who to talk to."

"What about you?" Mitch asked him, lost for anything else to say as he tried to process what he was hearing.

"I'm as straight as people get," he said with an odd hint of amusement. "If my calling had been anything else, that would have been great, but here ... there are parts of temple life I will never be a part of because of it, and some who wonder why I am here."

"I thought the church was for warriors and Enforcers," Mitch pointed out.

"Halikar is the god of aggressive defense," Sam told him. "A warrior from a time when all warriors were male, and all warriors slept with other warriors more than their wives as a matter of course. Thus many of his rites contain homosexual components. I can perform the lower-level ones, I do not mind kissing a tom, or even being taken by one, but the rites that require honest passion are beyond me."

"They _do_ those yet? Officially?" Mitch asked him. "Isn't that kinda hard these days?"

"Those rites aren't the public ones," Sam explained. "They never were. I believe Mokra, the Heart of Passion, is the only deity, at least of the semi and mainstream ones here in MegaKat City, that includes sex in their public rites."

"Oh," he nodded slightly, understanding the idea well enough. "What's gonna happen, if I do let anybody know?"

"It depends on who, and how," Sam told him. "I can guarantee that Chance will do his best to help you stay out of trouble with it. Also, I understand that you had an altercation with Jake, but he's a good Kat, and he's as out about his sexuality as anyone can be in the current Enforcers. Before that, he was very open about it. Parents and schoolmates need to be dealt with much more carefully, but the greatest truth I can tell you is that the more relaxed and accepting of what you are, in any context, the more likely others will leave you alone about it."

"Hang on, Jake's gay?" Mitch asked him. "He slugged me when I mentioned it!"

" _How_ did you mention it?" Sam asked somewhat pointedly. "Presentation is everything, as is the environment. There are places he'd all but have to do that."

"Even _Chance_ thought punching me was a bit much," Mitch pointed out, his ears flat. "It was just him, Mom, and the other kits around when I said it, and it's not like I called him a faggot or anything."

"At Chance's parent's house?" Sam asked, fairly sure he knew it had gone wrong.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But they weren't around or anything!"

"Perhaps, but it is a very anti-gay environment given Chance's experiences," Sam pointed out. "Jake would have walked in knowing it was highly hostile, beyond the career risk of such a statement. He may well have over reacted, but it is a good lesson for you. That is not an accusation you should make lightly, especially where it is not acceptable. Against people who have a great deal to lose by it is also dangerous. The reaction you expect from your classmates if they found out you like guys can be much stronger in adults, and the anger at being made the target of such abuse is valid."

"I guess," Mitch rowled, rubbing his nose in the memory. "Hang on... if he _is_ gay, are he and Chance...?"

"Not that I know of," Sam shook his head. "They're a good pairing, in my opinion, except for an extreme difference in libido. Jake may be gay by definition, but the last time we spoke, he was effectively celibate by choice. Sex isn't something that motivates him much, and hasn't for most of his life."

"Okay," he nodded. "Chance is going out with Mom again, I don't think she'd be that happy to find out he was cheating on her again."

"That is not a mistake he would make twice," Sam said with the certainty of knowing the tabby for decades and having heard the story before. "He has changed a great deal since he was a teenager, much as I expect you will change between now and your forties."

"I guess," Mitch nodded, thinking for a few minutes. "You think I should try and find somebody else?" He asked. "A boyfriend or something?"

"I do not recommend a relationship for anyone who is thirteen, gay or straight," Sam smiled gently at him. "I don't advise a couple to break up either, just because of age," he added. "A boyfriend is a very serious thing, even a casual one. That said, do you have someone in mind?"

"I wouldn't even know who to talk to," Mitch snorted. "Not exactly something safe to ask about in person, y'know?"

"Yes, I do," Sam nodded with a low chuckle. "If you had someone in mind, there are reasonably good odds I would know if they'd hurt you for asking them out or not. Sometimes you have to take the risk, but I would expect you are years away from that."

"Okay," he nodded. "When _should_ I start thinking about it?"

"When you begin to really _want_ to have someone that close to you," Sam said. "I was seventeen, but I probably waited longer than most. You shouldn't feel pressure to find someone just because you've realized dating is an option."

"Some of the guys I play with have already been dating for a while," Mitch shrugged slightly. "I don't pay too much attention to what they're saying, but sometimes they make cracks about it... seems like I'm the only guy on the team who _isn't_ yet, sometimes."

"Do you have a good sense of what they do with their dates?" Sam asked, trying to get a better feel for how well Mitch understood what it meant at his age for most.

"Not really," Mitch admitted. "Hanging out, going places, making out at school sometimes, when the teachers aren't looking. Some of 'em do more than that."

"That sounds about right," Sam nodded. "Not particularly serious relationships. You can try to find a girl who doesn't care that you aren't that physically affectionate. A good counter to the teasing can be that something else, like sports, is more important than some girl."

"Might work," he nodded slightly. "Don't suppose you guys know about any girls who are just into other girls?" He asked.

"I can certainly ask," Sam smiled at him. "There will be several in your school, and likely a few more who are willing to date you because you are not interested in doing anything more than hanging out sometimes and they appreciate not being pressured."

"Kinda what I'd been thinking," Mitch nodded. "They wouldn't want anything more anyways."

"I will look into it," Sam promised. "Is there anything about Halikar or the temple you would like to know?"

"Besides what's already come up, how's Halikar's temple different from Bastet's?" He asked.

"You will find quite a few similarities, but our core tenants, the basic focus of the temple, is very different," Sam began. "Bastet is the Mother, the keeper of the home, bearer of kittens. Her focus is on producing kits and seeing that they are provided for.

"Halikar is focused on keeping them safe. While Bastet wants Her mate to stay at home, to provide and produce more, Halikar understands that it is rarely an option. That what is important is providing a safe home for your kits. The how and from where is much less that the doing.

"You will find much less emphasis on getting married, having kits, or settling down, and more on taking responsibility for your actions and protecting what is yours. We aren't much on condemning divorce, as long as the kits are still supported. It is a common reality for warriors that being home can't happen as often as they'd like. You won't hear condemnation of gays, or being single. You will hear a lot about doing your duty and pro-Enforcer views."

"Probably why Dad never mentioned it," he murmured. "Going to be a problem if I'm the only one who comes?"

"Not at all," Sam assured him. "If you let us know at least a couple hours in advance, we can help with transportation if you need it. Another worshiper in your area, or one of the Protectors can pick you up and take you home."

"I'll keep it in mind," he nodded. "Mom and my sisters go to one of Bastet's temples, same with Dad, when he goes at least. He's not very popular around there."

"I'm sure," Sam nodded sympathetically. "They don't tolerate it well even when the tom supports his kits as yours does. It is likely the greatest strain between Halikar and Bastet's temples. With our support of the Enforcers, and the extremely high divorce rate among them, there has been a lot of pressure from them to try and change that."

"Change the divorce rates? How are you supposed to do that?" Mitch asked incredulously. "It'd be worse to make 'em stick together!"

"That is what we believe," Sam agreed. "It would be nice if everyone got together with their perfect mate on the first try, but the _gods_ don't even manage that. The Leaves of Motherhood, and much of the emphasis on remaining married, was from a time when the tom leaving mean the mother was without resources to raise their kits, and when you were lucky to have one in five kits survive, so large, frequent litters were very important to the survival of the family and our kind. They haven't caught up with what the modern world is like. In two lifetimes we went from that, to having an overpopulation issue and kitten deaths are so rare that are thought to scar the mother for life. It is very little time for values to change, especially for a group so old and established."

"I think they've just got their heads stuck up their tails," Mitch grumbled. "Better to be miserable and married than separated and happy."

"That was the standard belief until your parent's generation," Sam pointed out. "There was some of it for your grandparents, but it's only been in the last fifty years that the idea that marriage was for anything but ensuring the kits were provided for happened. Until then, you married to have kittens and you were expected to stay married for their sake. Love, happiness and all the things you believe marriage is about simply were not factors. As often as not marriages were still arranged into the twentieth century."

"Often as not, they'd string up a kantin for dating a kat - doesn't make it right if somebody says to do that now," Mitch pointed out. "Doesn't make me wrong for saying they're crazy when they do, either."

"No, it doesn't, though like anyone who believes they are right, like gays for thinking they shouldn't be hated and degraded for who they love, they don't have to take it quietly either," Sam pointed out. "You have every right to your beliefs, but so do others."

"Yeah, but people shouldn't be defending themselves by saying 'that's how it was when I was a kit' when they'd smack you for saying something _else_ they said when they were a kit," Mitch shrugged slightly.

"No, they should not," Sam agreed. "Very few people have reasons for most of their beliefs and behaviors that have really thought out. You are no exception, given how this conversation began. It is very difficult to admit, even to yourself, that how your parents raised you was wrong, possibly even evil. Most people are not willing to even consider it, and those that do typically have had a near-complete break with their family, like Chance did."

"I guess you're right," he admitted. "It all kinda makes my head hurt," he admitted.

"Changing how you think is not an easy or quick process," Sam said gently. "Don't feel bad that one conversation doesn't make it all work."

"Can I come back to talk to you again some time?"

"Any time you want to," Sam assured him, glancing up at a large hawk circling the sun above them. "Just don't cut class without a very good reason. You are too smart to do that."

"Somebody thinks so, at least," Mitch murmured, looking up with Sam. "Something looks strange about that one."

"Just because your sister is brilliant, does not make you any less smart," Sam said firmly. "That is Taloas, our temple Golden Hawk."

"Even _you_ know how smart she is," Mitch pointed out. "Is he trying to... uhm... say something? Or just having fun?"

"I know because Chance has told me," Sam said. "And no, he's not saying anything. Golden Hawks are only animals. They are just animals that Halikar has a great affinity for. It is not uncommon to see him flying above the garden."

"Figured I should ask," Mitch blushed a bit. "I should probably get headed back soon."

"All right," Sam nodded and stood with him. "Do you think you will come to a service soon?"

"Maybe," Mitch nodded as they walked back to the main chamber where Chance was waiting. "Gotta look a few other things up first, I think," he admitted.

"Of course," Sam nodded, accepting without question.

"Hi guys," Chance looked up as they walked in. "No blood, that's good," he teased with a grin.

"I'm better than that, Chance, and you know it," Sam teased back. "We had a very good talk."

"Glad to hear it," Chance smiled. "So, you planning on coming back some time?" He asked Mitch.

"Probably," the kit nodded. "I'll try and find a ride in the area though, so you don't have to pick me up all the time."

"You can call the temple and ask who's available," Chance suggested. "There's always a list of folks willing to give rides and where they are."

"Have a good day, Mitch," Sam said with a squeeze on his shoulder before he turned to leave the Furlongs alone.

"You too, Protector!" Mitch replied, looking up at Chance with a nod. "I know, if I have to I'll do that too. I'll check with the neighbors first though, they're not all Bastet's, and Mom'll be more comfortable with somebody we know."

"She definitely will be," Chance agreed as they began to walk out. "A Protector is probably a second best. Most of who comes here are Enforcers, or were, or are connected pretty closely to one."

"Uhm... about something he mentioned. How come the Enforcers are so uptight, if Halikar isn't?"

"Because a lot of politics are involved, and a run of several Commanders that were homophobic even by the standards of their time," he tried to explain. "It hasn't been okay in general society to be gay since before MegaKat City was founded. Halikar just isn't that hard-nosed about being accepting on the subject to override it. He and His temple also weren't part of the founding of the Enforcers, He was just adopted later because the match was pretty good."

"So most Enforcers kinda ignore that part?"

"A lot do," he nodded. "I think most can't even hear it when it's said directly in the sermons and stories. A lot of people are like that. If it doesn't fit into their existing world view, nothing can make them see it."

"Well, he kinda hit me over the head to back off on it," Mitch admitted. "Sorry about the trouble before."

"Thank you," Chance accepted it. "And I'm going to tell you something that'll go against everything you mother believes," he paused while they got in his truck. "Just don't bring up the incident with Jake, not even to apologize. He's pretty much already let it go. Reminding him it happened isn't a great idea."

"Uhm... okay," he nodded. "What if Mom tells me to? She's done it before."

"Tell her that I said it was a bad idea," Chance said. "I'll talk to her too, make sure she knows from me that it's better left ignored. I wouldn't normally tell you to not apologize, but I know my partner."

"Okay," Mitch nodded slightly. "So... where to next?"

"How about video games at my place?" Chance grinned at him. "Have some fun instead of this serious stuff."

"Sounds great," Mitch grinned as they pulled out and headed into a much nicer neighborhood than Mitch was used to. "How do you afford to live _here_?"

"I can't," Chance chuckled. "Jake can. He's filthy rich, The Enforcers don't pay _near_ this well, but designing the jets they fly does. I contribute what I can, of course, but...." He shrugged slightly as they pulled up.

"Why would he put you up if you aren't lovers?" Mitch asked, almost managing to sound neutral about it.

"Well, for one thing, he's my partner," Chance said with a mental sigh. "It's not like I'm a total freeloader - I kick in what I can, he's just got more money than I do, and not really much in the way of ideas of what to do with it, so he doesn't care. He's also got a major paranoia about some enemies from his cooperate days getting their paws on me. It makes him feel safer when I've got the same security he has."

"He's more worried about civilians than Omegas?" Mitch stared at Chance.

"As strange as it sounds, yes," he nodded. "He's suffered a lot at their hands. Omegas just try to kill him. Besides, civilians wouldn't be the only ones. Somebody like Dark Kat could try getting his hands on me to make Jake work for him, that sorta thing."

"Still seems weird," Mitch said, not sure how else to respond to the setup. "So you've lived with him for ... eight years?"

"Four, actually," Chance chuckled. "We didn't move into this place until we graduated. Some stuff in our last year really freaked him out about knowing where I was, and when you see what he calls an apartment, you'll see why I didn't object to moving in."

"Nice, huh?" Mitch grinned.

"His 'apartment' is more like a house," Chance chuckled. "Trust me, it's impressive. He probably spent more on the master bathroom, _his_ bathroom, than the entire building your mom lives in. We'll be there in just a minute too."

"Wow," Mitch's eyes went wide. "That's a lot."

"You saw his mother's place," Chance smiled over at him as he pulled into the underground parking for the condo complex. "He's got nicer taste than she does, sometimes, and didn't start out working for a government agency. Come on," he said, parking and climbing out. "I'll go show you the place. Scary thing is, he'd be able to expand if he had to."

Mitch nodded and followed his uncle, his eyes wide as he took in the other vehicles parked. "How many vehicles do you have?" he asked as he realized he'd seen him with two already.

"Two are mine, the bike and truck," Chance said as they stepped into the elevator. "Jake has the bike next to mine and the black SUV by the truck. And a bunch that live out at his workshop at Katilia Field."

"How much time does he spent out there instead of around here?" Mitch asked, surprised when Chance used a passcard for the elevator instead of the usual buttons.

"A lot," Chance acknowledged as they rode up. "He's a real workaholic. Puts in our full shift, then puts in at least that much at his shop. I've gone a couple weeks without seeing him outside the job before."

"That's _nuts_ ," Mitch said, shaking his head, following Chance out when they reached the top. "Sorry, but really, it doesn't sound healthy."

"It's not, really," he nodded and unlocked the door to the condo with a palm and retina reader. "Though you'd never know it by his performance. But there's only so much I can do to get him to sleep every night."

"Without drugging him," Mitch nodded. "He really _is_ obsessed about security, isn't he?" He asked with a bit of a frown and tried to absorb what looked like one of those fancy show homes he saw on TV. "Anybody ever try getting in here?"

"I don't think this one, but his last place was compromised a couple times," Chance said and showed Mitch into the living room, where the kit immediately fixed on the 108in HD TV.

"That's bigger than my room's _wall_!" Mitch gasped.

"Just wait until you see the games on it," Chance grinned. "Make yourself comfortable - want something to drink?"

"Sure," Mitch murmured, still in absolute awe at the size of the TV. "Got milk?"

"Sure thing," Chance chuckled. "I'll be right back," he promised, heading out for a couple glasses of milk, coming back in to see Mitch sprawled out on the floor, still looking up at the deactivated TV.

"It is pretty impressive," Chance caught Mitch's attention before handing him the milk and going to bring the Gamestar system out. "Anything you want to play?"

"Street Fighter?" Mitch asked hopefully. "I'm pretty good at the arcade."

"Sure thing," Chance nodded, reaching over for the disk before he laid out next to Mitch on the floor. "Even ground," he teased good-naturedly as he popped the disc in and they each took a controller. Mitch couldn't help but watch him move, after the conversation he'd had with Protector Sam. Every time Chance moved, he showed off ... maybe that was part of what had gotten his Dad not liking him early on. He wasn't really the most graceful guy out there.

In a way, it was hard to pay attention when the game booted up, he was too busy analyzing his uncle's body and movement, and wondering if the grace was a gay thing.


	46. Airtime

"So, ready to go up?" Chance asked Mitch as he climbed into the rear seat of the stunt plane. "Light lunch?"

"Oh _yeah_!," Mitch cheered, waiting impatiently for his uncle to check his harness and get in the front seat. "We all ate light."

"All right," Chance chuckled, climbing in and running the last few pre-flights. "Ever been flying before?"

"No, we don't go anywhere," he shook his head, his face plastered to the side of the canopy as they began rolling down the tarmac.

"Figured that might be the case," Chance nodded slightly, starting to pull up. "Should be a pack of gum in the back of my seat; chew a piece if your ears start feeling funny."

"Okay," Mitch nodded, his attention focused on working out how fast they were going by the ground rushing by them and getting further away every second. "Wow," he breathed.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Chance smiled. "Can't take you all the way up today - this plane's not quite up to some of the ones Jake's built. Let me know when you've had enough of a bird's eye view."

"I don't think I ever will," Mitch whispered, his eyes wide as he took in the world from a whole new angle. "No wonder you don't want to give this up."

"It's something else," Chance agreed. "I just don't want to start getting fancy while you're still taking in the view. Can you spot HQ from here?" He asked easily.

"Over there!" Mitch almost squeaked. "Fancy?"

"This _is_ a stunt plane, kit," Chance grinned. "I've never had a passenger get airsick just going up, it's when I play around a bit that they sometimes go off."

"I won't," Mitch puffed up a bit. "Show me what you can do."

"If your vision starts getting blurry, tell me," Chance chuckled, before pulling up into a loose loop through the air, not wanting to start pulling too many G's with a kit in the back seat.

"Weeee!" Mitch cheered. "I will. I'm _good_!"

"Good," Chance chuckled. "Want to find out why they call it canyon tag?" He asked, pulling out of the loop, and heading for the badlands with a barrel roll.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Mitch cheered, his adrenaline on full steam as he leaned forward, trying to keep from distracting the pilot too much. "Ever flown without the canopy? Feel the wind in your fur like a roller coaster."

"I've done it, but I wouldn't do it at these speeds," Chance pointed out. "Just about take your head off," he said, dropping down into some of the wider canyons, getting an easy start. As Mitch cheered him on, he heard something else in the kit's voice too.

"You okay back there?" Chance asked him, heading towards some of the smaller canyons. In the stunt plane, he could handle tighter turns than in his fighter, but he wasn't going to mention that just now.

"Yeah, good," Mitch insisted.

It was enough that Chance _knew_ the kit was holding something back, but it wasn't physical. It was probably something that happened during the noticeably long talk with Protector Sam the previous week.

"Something you want to talk about? We've got some time up here," he offered.

"N-no," Mitch stammered, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

"Okay," Chance nodded, letting it ride. When the time was right, he'd go ahead. "Want me to really have some fun?" He asked, pulling into a canyon with several stone arches through it.

" _Oh Yeah_!" Mitch cheered him on.

* * *

"Are you usually up there with him?" Mayrie asked Jake politely as they watched Chance take off with Mitch in the back seat.

"Sometimes," Jake shook his head. "He goes up in that one alone most of the time. It's relaxing for him."

"How hard was it, to make a jet just for him?" She asked him curiously, watching them head off towards the horizon.

"For me, easy," Jake chuckled, relaxing against the side of the hangar. "I built my first one at thirteen, and most are military grade, whether they were armed or not."

"Cool... how'd you manage that, when you were just my age?" May asked, sitting in a folding chair backwards to look at him.

"It helps to have a rocket scientist for a mother," he chuckled. "I had access to a lot of information at home, and resources that few parents have. I was effectively home schooled until collage, I was so far ahead of my age. My mom encouraged me a lot in it."

"Mom doesn't want me getting that far ahead," May grumbled a bit. "At least she's letting me take the AP classes. Are you going to be at the next FEW meet?"

"Unless something comes up, I plan to be," he nodded. "With the way things are right now, I can't guarantee it." He glanced at Mayrie, making sure she wasn't paying full attention to him. "I can teach you a few ways to get ahead, even if it's not full home schooling," he said softly.

"Like what?" She asked him quietly, aware that he didn't think her mother should hear.

"When we have a weekend," Jake hushed her on the subject. "You are still planning to spend a day or two at my workshop, right?" he asked more normally.

"Oh yeah," she grinned. "If you're willing, at least," she added quickly.

"I am," he smiled. "I do like to support the FEW, and if you mom and my partner are dating, we might as well find out how well we get along. Besides, if you're as good as your records indicate, having someone to talk to would be nice."

"Chance probably keeps up better with you than I would," she blushed slightly. "He knows more about planes and such."

"Chance doesn't know any more about engineering than he has to," Jake chuckled easily. "He's a top-notch pilot, he's good at helping me do field repairs, but he's no designer."

"I'm not either, not yet anyways," she pointed out.

"But you have the desire, the talent and the intelligence," Jake told her. "Maybe I can teach you a few things about designing."

"That'd be _so_ cool," she grinned, all but vibrating in excitement. "Cathy'd just about explode if she heard about it."

"She has her father," Jake laughed easily. "He _is_ very good. I'm just giving you an even playing field."

"Fair enough," she giggled. "She'll still be excited. He _is_ her Dad."

"He's obliged to help her," Jake nodded. "I have no obligation to you, other than wanting to help you be everything you can be. What are you into, engineering-wise?"

"Right now? Mostly into learning the ropes and how things go together," she explained. "I've been working on my bike too," she added with a grin.

"What have you done to it?" he grinned back, always excited to talk to another tweaker.

"Well, mostly I've been working with the gearing," she said, waiting until her mother was busy with Carrie to lean over and whisper. "I'm working on a motor for it, but that's trickier."

"Much," Jake's eyes glittered. "I bet I could help with that when you come to my workshop. Just bring it and we can play around. A good project, since I'm sure she'd kill me if I had you inside my new TurboKat's guts."

"Yes, I probably would," Mayrie said dryly. "Chance told me about that thing - I don't want my daughter ending up in some pocket dimension and not knowing how to get out."

"Aw Mom - I'm sure he'd tell me how!" May giggled.

"When you're older," Jake promised. "It's not exactly beginner's material, you know. Not even _my_ beginner's material. I want you to have fun, not have to look up every third word to figure out what I'm talking about."

"Just don't do anything that'll land her in the hospital, or require a wizard to fix," Mayrie sighed, shaking her head. "I swear, one of these days it's going to come down to it."

"Not while I'm responsible for her," Jake looked up at Mayrie with all seriousness. "I know I have a gift for getting into that kind of trouble, but I know what I do that invites it too. I won't while May's around."

"Thank you," she said, just as seriously. "Just... try to keep her away from things that explode? I know it's something she's interested in."

"Mom, I'm a teenager, if I wasn't I'd need therapy," May grumbled.

"I'll do what I can, but I believe it would be more valuable to teach her how to be around them safely," Jake said as firmly as he dared. "There is very little you can do with advanced equipment design that doesn't involve some combination of flammables, explosives, caustic liquid or radiation. Knowing how to be careful and handle yourself safely around it is what saves your life. I'm not talking bomb disposal here, but how to handle yourself around common dangers safely."

"At thirteen?" Mayrie asked him.

"She's going to work on them, with or without supervision," Jake pointed out. "You know it, I know it, and she's trying to look like she hasn't already. She might as well learn how to work safely from someone who knows it very well. I have no intention of throwing her in the deep end, but the sooner she learns, the less likely the hospital will be."

"All right," Mayrie sighed. "At least let me be around the first couple of times?"

"Sure," Jake agreed. "When would work for you?"

"Well, if not some time this weekend, maybe an hour after my shift's over some time... assuming that works for _you_ ," she pointed out. "You're the one doing us a favor."

"You are dating my partner," Jake smiled at her. "And May's in the FEW. Either one is enough to warrant my time. I've seen partnerships fall apart when one member got into a relationship and the other kept their distance. I don't intend to let that happen to us."

"Are you _sure_ you aren't...." May snapped her mouth shut at one look from her mother and dropped her face, her ears dropped and tail tucked under that chair. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Stupid reg."

"I tend to agree," Jake said and lifted her chin. "I really was talking about flight teams, pilot/gunner teams. When you're single, your partner is your best friend, the first person you turn to when you're in trouble, usually closer than family. You count on each other for your life every day. Not being involved in each other's lives and what's important to them is a big mistake in our line of work."

"I understand," she nodded. "Though with Uncle Chance's family, it wouldn't be hard to be closer to him than that. What about your family?"

"We get along very well, but my family isn't big on spending much time together," he explained. "It seems to happen when you have a family that's all intellectuals. We are busy with our own lives early on."

"Sounds cool," May grinned. "That why they let you get so far ahead so fast?"

"Pretty much," Jake chuckled softly. "That and to keep me out of trouble. Unlike you, I was very ill-suited to sports and other typical kitten activities. It's also just how my family does it. We've never gone to public schools, so it wasn't something my mom thought of sending me to."

"Is she anything like your Grandma?" May asked him curiously. "Or more like you?"

"Mom's more like me," Jake smiled. "Grandma is an artist. Mom's a rocket scientist, the head of R&D at MASA."

"Did she help you get the TurboKat so it'd go into space?" Carrie asked him curiously.

"I did that on my own," Jake said. "I used some of her research, but taking a jet into space is very different from a multi-stage rocket that MASA uses for everything."

"I guess so," she nodded.

"How'd you get it to work without air?" May asked him, cocking her head.

"On board oxygen generators," Jake grinned. "And a slightly different fuel than usual, though that part isn't strictly required. It took me a long time to make it work, starting with high-altitude and working my way up until I could go as far as the moon. Technically, she could have gone a lot further, but time becomes an issue."

"Yeah... you wouldn't need more fuel, once you were outside the gravity well, but you probably couldn't get up to fast enough speeds to get anywhere," she murmured, thinking it over. "Can you get up fast enough to test dilation?"

"And this is where the rest of us stop knowing _what_ she's talking about," Mayrie chuckled.

"Then feel free to ignore the technobabble," Jake grinned at her before turning back to May. "In theory, she could have, but I never got to test it. I'm still a little leery of going full-out in space. Probably needed a few more mods to get up that fast."

"Fair enough," she nodded. "Kinda suck to run out of gas before you got turned around," she admitted. "Can you still get up there? Or are you working on upgrading her now?"

"She was destroyed a few months ago," Jake sighed with a shake of his head. "So I'm starting from scratch again. It'll be years before I have anything at her level again."

"Sorry," she winced. "I didn't know."

"I never told you," he smiled in thanks for the sympathy. "You'll probably get to work on her, but not for a few years yet. You have a lot to learn before it will be safe to work on her, even without your mother's overprotective glare," he winked at Mayrie. "I wouldn't risk my protégée."

May beamed at him with a grin, already a mile high inside at what he was saying, before looking up as she heard the jet coming in for a landing.

"Me next, or Carrie?" She asked Mayrie.

"Since you seem to be having a good conversation with Jake, why don't we let your sister go next?" Mayrie suggested.

"Okay," May nodded easily, turning back to the conversation with Jake.

"Yay!" Carrie grinned, hopping up and practically vibrating as she waited for the jet to taxi to a stop and for Mitch to climb out.


	47. Passions of a Different Sort

"See you in the morning, Bosskat!" Jezebel Taloes, one of his few civilian students, called out to him as they got dressed to head home after another long day in the air with the new fighters.

"Nope," he grinned at her surprise. "Commander Lychros will be running things off my notes for the next two or three days," he nodded to the powerful black Wolf. "I have kittens to make."

"And she'd probably kill us all if we tried to stop you," she giggled. "Congratulations. Who's the lucky girl?"

"Friend of Jake's," Chance chuckled. "Fortunately, she's just looking for a sire, or I'd be _really_ iffy about this, with what's ahead."

"A brain and a pilot," she laughed easily. "What kittens those will be. Have fun, and come back with stories."

"I'm sure I will," he grinned, grabbing the bag he'd already packed, not entirely sure just _what_ he'd need for the days ahead. "No breaking the Commander while I'm gone."

"If they can, I don't deserve my rank," the Wolf laughed gruffly in good humor. "Good luck, and congratulations on being selected."

"Thanks," Chance laughed, heading out to his bike and starting the drive, keeping the directions he'd gotten in his head, using it to keep himself from getting too stressed out about the idea. After a lifetime of trying to _avoid_ this sort of situation, he was diving headlong into it. With his partner's _mother_ of all people! Never mind that she was the head of R &D at MASA, a class of Kat he never thought he'd have anything to do with, at least not this way. She was sure of it though, and the two grown kits she'd raised were proof enough that even if something did happen to him, none of them would suffer for it.

He reached the hotel, turning the key to his bike over to the valet and looking up the huge building with a whistle. This was _not_ the sort of place he was used to hanging out at ... and he knew she probably could've afforded flashier, if she'd wanted to. It was a little comforting that she hadn't, but the huge, prominent symbols of Bastet and Morka flanking its name gave no doubt what the place was for.

You were here to make kittens.

He did his best to control his nerves as he walked inside.

"Welcome to the Heartland," a prim, young blond and white shekat smiled warmly at him. "Major Chance Furlong?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Looking for Tezla Clawson?" He asked, already able to pick up the traces of heat scent that permeated the entire hotel. Not enough to be a problem, but it wasn't possible to get it all out and his body was definitely taking notice.

"Yes, sir. She is in the Imperial suite," she said as she came around from behind the hardwood counter. "I'll show you."

"Thanks," he said, holding his helmet under his arm and his overnight bag in that hand as he followed her up. "Never been here before," he said, knowing in the back of his head that he didn't need to.

"Tezla had both her previous kits sired here," the hostess told him as the walked into an elevator. "I must say, her taste in toms is still excellent."

"Well, thank you," Chance blushed slightly. "Anything I should know about the place?"

"The meals have been arranged and will be delivered by a vixen, there are plenty of snacks and drinks in the room, as well as a full bar," she said. "Tezla checked in a couple hours ago, and she is definitely ready. If you want anything, just press the front desk button on the phone. As requested, calls from Enforcer HQ, hospitals, Katilia Field and both of your homes will be put through. Everything else will be routed to the front desk to determine its importance before disturbing you."

"Thank you," he nodded as the elevator reached the correct floor, Tezla's scent hitting him hard with the rush of air as the doors open. " _Whoa._ You were right about her being ready."

"I will leave you to her then," she bowed slightly, then nudged him gently to get him to walk into the polished marble entry room.

The elevator shut behind him and Tezla's scent knocked most of his brain off line and gave the part that screamed at him to follow it and fuck the source much more volume.

"Tezla?" He called out to her, following his nose as he sat down his helmet and started stripping off his jacket and shirt.

"In the bedroom," she called back, the hunger in her voice as evident as her scent. "Come show me how you earned your rep."

"With pleasure," he purred, stripping the rest of the way before he found the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind him as he fought his instinctive urge to jump her and start fucking her long enough to take in her eager, hungry body. She wasn't fooling around either. No lingerie or anything, just bare fur with her legs already spread.

The very back of his mind clicked on the fact that she was a tabby herself, though a subtle one with fine lighter cinnamon stripes on rich caramel pelt. Her long auburn hair spread out instead of it's normal braided bun and hazel eyes made a carpet of inviting earth tones on the dark wine red colored bed.

"Gorgeous," he purred, climbing into bed with her, kissing her breasts before he sank himself into her hungry body, groaning deeply and starting to thrust as he shifted out of thinking and more and more towards simply fucking the living daylights out of her.

* * *

"Can you let me get something out of the trunk before I go in?" May asked her mother hopefully. "I've got a project I want Jake's help with, but it's in the tub in the back."

"Of course," Mayrie nodded, before looking out at the entrance to the compound. "Assuming they'll let you, of course," she added, noticing the two armed guards who were watching them approach. "This might get called off, hon. Those two can't be normal here."

"Jake said he had a special project, but it was okay," May reminded her, watching the too serious Kats and their weapons as the car rolled up to them. Her mother rolled the window down when signaled to.

"ID and purpose, ma'am?" the one who was at the window, and being covered by his companion several feet away, asked.

"I'm bringing my daughter in to spend the day with Major Clawson," Mayrie explained, pulling out her ID and handing it over. "He said he'd arrange it ahead of time... is there something wrong?"

"Standard procedure, Ma'am," the guard told her before going into the guard shack with her ID. He came out a minute later with it and a small box in his hand that he unfolded into a scanning surface when he got to the window. "Place your hand flat," he instructed.

"Yes sir," she nodded easily, putting her hand onto the scanner. She and May had both been scanned for this visit, so that wasn't a real surprise once she realized it was access to the compound and not the hanger.

"Identity confirmed," the guard nodded to his partner, who pressed the button that opened the gate. "Major Clawson has been alerted to your arrival. Hangar 5."

"Thank you," she nodded, driving through once the gate was entirely open. "Must be a _big_ project they're working on," she murmured.

"Isn't it exciting?" May giggled, all but vibrating in excitement and her eyes wide as she tried to take in everything. Not that there was much visible at the near-abandoned airfield other than a few aircraft sitting out.

"That's one way of putting it," she admitted, thinking back to her history lessons on the nuclear bomb projects. Was she taking her kit into something nearly that secure, or dangerous? She didn't think Jake would have allowed it, but from what she knew about him, she couldn't be sure he'd think about it that way either. After all, what better place to introduce his protégée to everyone of importance in the field?

"There's Jake!" May cheered, pointing ahead of them at the lean tom waving at them.

"Good," Mayrie sighed in relief, turning to approach the lean tom. "Honestly, I'd rather not spend more time here than I have to... I know you're excited, honey, but if he's too busy, we might have to put it off. Do you know if Cathy's father is here today?"

"He probably is," she shrugged as they pulled to a stop. "I think everybody is."

"The guards didn't give you too much trouble, did they?" Jake asked as May opened her door and ran to give him an excited hug, something that Mayrie could see startled him quite a bit.

"No, they didn't give me much trouble," Mayrie chuckled. "You going to be okay with her today?" She teased lightly, putting the van in park and climbing out in case she needed to help move anything.

"I know who to call if I can't," Jake assured her. "But I think we'll be fine. I have a day of engineering projects planned, after all. It's something we get along with," he grinned.

"Fair enough," Mayrie chuckled. "If you need to put more time in on something else, just give me a call... you need any help, May?" She asked as her daughter went around to the trunk.

"Just getting it open!" She replied cheerfully. Mayrie pulled out the keys, pressing the button to unlock the back of the van, and waited for May to pull out what looked like a particularly heavy plastic tub, along with her bike, before closing the back end for her.

"Take good care of her; I'll be back around six," Mayrie promised, turning back towards Jake.

"I will," Jake promised, watching as Mayrie got in the van and left. "Come on, May. I'll introduce you to a few folks."

"Great - can I just drop off the motor first?" She asked him with a grin. "Kinda heavy," she admitted, picking up the tub carefully.

"Sure," Jake reached out to take it. "You walk the bike. Can I trust you to keep secrets?" he asked seriously as he unlocked the door.

"Yessir," she nodded seriously, standing next to him, holding her bike up as she waited. "I'm going to be seeing what everybody's up to?" He guessed.

"And likely hear parts as well," he nodded and walked inside the hanger.

May flicked her ears back at the cacophony of machine noise, welding and voices.

"The room we have to work in won't be quite this chaotic," Jake promised as he walked her away from the noise.

"Okay," she nodded. "Gotta get used to it sometime though," she grinned up at him. "Back there?" She asked, indicating an area behind a light screen.

"Yap," Jake nodded, walking into the simple but complete small machine shop he'd set up. Prop it against the table," he said as he put the engine down on it. "A few folks are excited to meet you."

"Really?" She asked him curiously, setting the bike up for later. "I know Cathy's Dad's here, but he knows me already."

"Well, I have been talking about you," he winked at her. "Come on," he led her into the main workshop where a dozen people, Kats and Kantin, male and female, were working on a large, sleek sci-fi looking fighter that was about half built.

She recognized a several of them from FEW events, and her studies of the who's who in the engineering field, and tried not to let her nerves get the better of her. These were probably the most recognized inventors alive today, from all over the world, all working on the same project, all in the same place.

"Hi May," Brad Whitestar looked at and grinned at her. "Welcome to the pit."

"Hi, Mister Whitestar," she grinned back, glad to see somebody she'd actually spoken to before. "Cathy's doing great," she added, knowing she'd probably seen her more recently than he had.

"Glad to hear it," he said gratefully. "I hate being away so long, but this ... it's too important to take much time out, even for family."

"She knows," May nodded, giving him a hug. "She just hopes you'll make it home for her birthday," she smiled up at him.

"I'll be there for the party at least," he promised. "Even if it's just for a few hours."

"Okay!" She nodded, stepping back to meet some of the others now, her eyes catching on an older tom with bright orange fur, fine tabby stripes and nearly as tall as the Caracal fem near him.

"May, this is Dr. Bahur," Jake introduced them. "He's from Balkita. Lady Eshrin is from the Golden Kingdom."

"A pleasure to meet you both," she said, offering a polite bow to Lady Eshrin as she hoped she had her manners straight between different countries. "Wait... Dr. Bahur? They let you go?" She asked him, cocking her head.

"With the persuasion of some black ops crazies," the old tom chuckled. "Officially I'm an escaped prisoner, but there are several governments ready to offer me asylum. I'm not going back."

"It is good to see that Jake has taken on a female protégée," Lady Eshrin purred in approval. "It is too rare these days in most of the world."

"I'm gender biased in bed, not for training," Jake chuckled.

"Why would it matter either way?" May giggled, though she still blushed a bit at being called Jake's protégée. "I just hope I can live up to his expectations."

"You can," Dr. Whitestar said confidently.

"Personal preference. Most people do have them," Jake told her as he began introducing the others working on the fighter.

"I'll be out in a second," said a voice attached to the red-and-black tail sticking out of the prototype. Before long, the owner of the voice turned around, revealing a greasy Fox's face.

"Dr. James Redbrush, pleased to meet you," the Fox said cheerfully, offering May a hand after wiping it clean.

"And entirely too modest," Jake smirked at him as May shook his hand. "He's my mentor."

"Please, you make me sound like an academic," the Fox shuddered, grinning at them both. "I think we'll have the power we need in a couple hours, Jake. Just need to convince the engines that the laws of thermodynamics are optional," he joked, earning a few chuckles from others.

"Oh, that's all?" Jake laughed. "So what's the holdup?"

"Look, when you can _explain_ how you built that tesseract, then you can gloat about the fact that physics are optional for you," Redbrush laughed back, sticking out his tongue at Jake before disappearing back into the ship.

"Really?" May asked, looking up at Jake.

"The TurboKat I lost was a tesseract inside the main body," Jake nodded. "The only problem is I have no clue how I built it, even though the entire time was recorded."

"Weird," she murmured, shaking her head. "Is that Dr. Hackle?" She asked as the old tom came back from catching a nap.

"Yes," Jake smiled and walked over to introduce her. "Brilliant and gifted at creating my nightmares by mistake," Jake teased him.

"Which I'm still trying to make up for," Hackle conceded. "The new Megabots are almost finished, but we still don't have a way to get them _to_ the moon."

"Unfortunately the only way I know of was left on the moon," Jake nodded and patted his shoulder. "You've made some useful things, George," he assured him before turning to introduce May to the rest of the team.

* * *

"It's just not working!" May growled irritably, swatting the motor she'd brought with her with the wrench she was using. "I don't know what's wrong with it!"

She wasn't sure what was wrong with _her_ either. She'd gotten the motor working, it just wasn't turning the gears. She _knew_ it had the power. She ought to be able to get this to work. But between her hands being fidgety and her brain trying to go off in all sorts of different directions, all of them a little creepy, she just couldn't get it to work.

"You have the hard part done," Jake tried to soothe her as he stepped a little closer to look over her shoulder at what she was looking at. "Follow the line of power, see where it stops."

"It's just hard to focus on it right now," she admitted, pressing back against him unconsciously. "Don't get what it is."

"Did you eat breakfast, rest well last night?" he went for the obvious ones to him.

"Yeah," she nodded, trying to focus on following the wires and making sure everything was hooked in correctly. It was nearly impossible to focus though, all she could think of was the warmth and hard muscle behind her and why it made her feel good.

She _never_ had this kind of trouble before.

Her tail slipped up a bit, along the inside of his leg, her nose distracting her even more as she picked up Jake's scent more distinctly. She felt like something was knotting up inside of her, she just didn't know why.

"Okay, you just proved everything has power," he said patiently nearly in her ear. "Now make sure they are all aligned correctly," he suggested, having spotted the problem.

She let out a low, soft, almost unconscious whine, and Jake had to wonder what it was that was wrong with her right now as she tried following the mechanical parts.

"I've done this a dozen times before," she murmured, pressing back into him. She wasn't whining about this not working the way she wanted, it had to be something else. It had to be something to do with Jake and the way he was making her feel. She couldn't think about _anything_ but touching him and the way he felt against her back.

What was wrong with her? This was hardly the first time a teach had worked with her like this and she'd never felt this before.

She's never been a teen before either.

Even then though, she hadn't been this focused on Mr. Abrahms in her chemistry class, when he'd been helping her. He'd been almost as close... she'd just felt a little creeped out by it, then.

Now though... all she could think about doing was turning around, feeling him against her front. She reached back with one hand, resting it lightly on his hip and felt him freeze almost instantly.

"May?" Jake looked down at her, instead of her project, and stepped back slightly as he began to process all the clues she was giving him. Despite his entire mind screaming at him that she was _far_ too young, his body, not quite reluctantly, pointed out that she wasn't. "You okay?"

He knew he wasn't, hearing his own voice.

"I dunno," she admitted, pulling her hand forward again before turning to face him. "Don't know what's going on with me right now."

Jake took a deep breath, really analyzing it for a long moment. "I think your first heat is starting," he said softly.

"Oh fu - sorry," she stopped herself, blushing brightly. "We should probably call Mom, I guess," she sighed.

"And you should probably stay in my office until she gets here," Jake nodded, noticeably more uneasy now that he knew what was going on. "Do you, umm, have any ... toys? To help out this week?"

"How'd they help?" She asked him, moving further away from him to try and reduce the effect of his scent on her even as she complied with his motion to follow him away from the workshop and the others.

"Dildos," he said more plainly.

"I'm only thirteen," she pointed out, shaking her head. "Uhm... Mom does, but I'm not s'posed to know about that," she admitted.

"I've never been around kits," he reminded her and opened his office door. "Do you want one?"

"Uhm... I think I'll wait until I find out if Mom's got something," she said, declining the offer for now. "She never has that much trouble with her heats, think she's got something she takes for it."

"There are cycle suppressants," Jake nodded. "Why don't you play on the computer until she gets here? I'd stay and talk, but I'm not sure it'd be good for either of us."

"Probably wouldn't be," she admitted. "Mom'd be _really_ pissed," she chuckled, smiling weakly at him. "Thanks, and sorry for the trouble," she said, heading into the small room with the computer he'd led her to.

"Don't worry about it," Jake smiled at her. "If you change your mind, you can have the one in the bottom cabinet," he motioned to it.

"Uhm, thanks," she blushed, before he headed out to call Mayrie. With the door closed, he quickly got hold of her on the cell phone.

"Jake? Is something wrong?" She asked after picking up the phone.

"I believe May's gone into heat," he said a little uneasily. "Nothing really happened, but I don't think this is the weekend for her to spend here."

"I'll be right there," Mayrie promised him. "Is she somewhere with a door that locks until then?"

"In my office," he said. "She's entertaining herself on my computer. It doesn't have a lock, but the door is shut. No one going to touch her," he promised. "I'll make sure of it."

"All right, I'll be there as soon as I can," Mayrie sighed slightly. "How's she handling it?"

"Embarrassed and frustrated, but I think she's okay. I think the fact that she hasn't been able to focus all morning got to her more."

"That's my girl," Mayrie chuckled lowly. "We'll be right over, I'll get Cathy on the way. She's already been through hers."

"Sounds like a plan," Jake nodded. "I'll let the guards know you're coming with her," he said before hanging up.

"They have been alerted," Sara told him.

"Now we just wait," Jake signed and leaned against a nearby wall to keep an eye on his office door.

* * *

"She's in there?" Mayrie asked Jake, walking in to meet Jake with a bottle of soda in hand and Cathie behind her. "I've got the suppressant pills, they take a while to work though."

"Yes," he nodded. "I have a full bathroom around the corner, with a locking door, if she wants to get the scent off her."

"Thank you, she probably will," Mayrie nodded. "Might want to work some of the stress off too," she observed, her daughter's scent hitting her hard as she reached the door.

"Maybe I should go in," Cathie suggested hesitantly. "She'll probably be embarrassed."

"That... might be best," Mayrie admitted. "Just be right back out."

Jake couldn't help but notice that she was unconsciously placing herself between him and the door as Cathie started to open it. His ears flicked forward when he caught the sound of sex and music, and quickly recognized what was playing from the sounds.

"May," he called out without moving.

"May!" Mayrie gasped when she caught a glimpse of the screen, Cathie froze, slack-jawed, when she saw the vid of several toms fucking a bound and broken one in a large shower.

May let out a startled yelp, pushing her feet off the desk to roll the seat she was in over. She slammed the door in Cathie's face, the kit falling to the floor, startled beyond saying anything by what she'd seen and the door both.

"Where'd she find _that_?" She asked, still on the floor.

"The hard drive," Jake said, more than a little stunned himself. "It's _my_ taste in porn. Never thought she'd like it."

"You didn't tell her where to find it, did you?" Mayrie asked, turning to face him, somewhere between pissed off, shocked, and still grateful that he hadn't gone ahead and indulged her daughter the way May had probably wanted him to.

"No," he shook his head. "I figured she'd look on the internet for what appealed to her, if she even bothered with visual aids. Never heard of a girl that was into my kinda stuff."

"Uhm... right," Cathie said, getting up to her feet as May opened the door.

"I am _so_ sorry," she whined, crossing her legs, trying not to look at Jake too much.

"I should have reminded Cathie to knock," Mayrie said, handing over the bottle and pulling a small pill container out of her wallet. "Here, take two of these, they'll start working faster."

May nodded and downed the pills, then a long drink of soda.

"There's a nice bathroom with a locking door if you want to clean up," Jake offered, keeping his distance. "Maybe let Cathie give you a few pointers on what's going on."

"Uhm... thanks," she nodded, hurrying to the bathroom. Cathie looked between the two adults for a moment, then hurried off to keep an eye on May.

"She won't tell anybody about it," Mayrie promised him. "I'm going to have to get a different room for Mitch now," she mused, looking down the hall. "Or for May."

"Probably for her, at least this week," Jake nodded. "Are you ready to deal with his reaction to it?"

"As much as possible," Mayrie nodded. "It's her first, but not my first around him. The suppressants will help, and if it gets too bad, Tom's not likely to complain if I ask to switch a week with him."

"That's good, and I know from Chance that he'll understand why on a very personal level," Jake sighed and tried to relax. There wasn't any real scent left in the area thanks to Sara's air flow control, but it was just enough, along with the knowledge, to set him on edge. "Don't be hard on her if that _is_ what she gets off on, okay?" he looked at Mayrie seriously.

"I won't be," she sighed. "But I _really_ hope it isn't... it's not so much the genders, but I don't want her growing up thinking that _that's_ what she should look for!"

"I hope she doesn't think _any_ porn is what she should be looking for," he chuckled softly. "If I'm still around when things settle down a bit, I can talk to her about it a bit. She hit the deep end in a big way with that one."

"Well, there's that much at least... knowing May, if she'd known, that would've just been a further temptation," she sighed. "Thank you for calling me, Jake. I know it would've been really hard for a lot of toms to focus enough to think about doing that."

"There is the occasional advantage in being as gay as I am, and sterile," he smiled faintly. "I noticed, but just barely. If she was aggressive about it, rather than confused, I couldn't say I'd do as well," he admitted. "No one her age has tried, but I've got a real problem saying no when force gets involved. I _think_ I've got enough resistance to her age, but I don't know."

"I'm just glad we didn't have to find out," she nodded slightly. "Though... if it had happened, I know it wouldn't have been your fault," she said, kissing his cheek lightly. "I don't know if I would've realized that until _after_ one of us was in the hospital, but I would've realized it," she chuckled slightly.

"All things considered, probably both of us," he smiled in thanks to her. "I doubt I'd fight back until you'd hurt me seriously enough to kick in the survival instincts ... after that, you'd be hurting. I don't think you'd raise anyone like that, though."

"I hope not," she chuckled. "Though being in heat can change things. How long do you think she'll be?" She asked, glancing down towards the bathroom.

"No clue," he admitted. "My sister is seventeen years younger than I am. I think until she comes out."

Mayrie sniffed the air a bit, then nodded slightly. "You're probably right. I can wait for them if you want to get back to work," she offered.

"Yelp if somebody gets pushy," Jake told her. "I won't be far."


	48. Assault Time

"Damn, I hope they're ready," Chance murmured as he and Jake took their seats in the new fighters. "They should be, but... they've never been in an _actual_ fight in these things before. Neither have I, for that matter," he admitted.

"You're all good fighter pilots though, with some practice in these," Jake reminded him. "They're more ready than most war-time pilots on their first mission. I just hope the enemy shows up where and when they're supposed to. We already know of some major changes between that timeline and this one."

"The attack, for one," Chance nodded. "Not sure what I want more... that they do what they're supposed to, or that they don't show up at all. What's the plan if they don't show?"

"That's where my connections come into play," Jake shivered slightly at the idea. "There doesn't need to be much political pressure behind corporations and individuals pursuing the technology. We'll be sent out to the moon to check on things there too, I expect. Striking later might have delayed them."

"If they don't show, the wing would appreciate going up," Chance offered. "Think the Commander'd pull us back from a little recon?"

"I doubt it," Jake chuckled. "The further from the city this fight happens, the happier he's going to be."

"I say we should go on up then, if it doesn't happen as expected," Chance told him, scanning the sky, then his sensors, then the sky again. "They're getting a little antsy; they'll want to feel like we're doing something productive today instead of just a training move."

"You're getting no objections from me," Jake agreed, eager for some action himself. "Maybe we'll catch them further out, or give them another delay by blowing up the base again. Anything we find will help blunt any political backlash from not having an invasion force at the doorstep."

"Sounds good to me," Chance nodded, keeping an eye on everything going on as they left the lower atmosphere. Both wings remained in formation, spread out to give as difficult a target as possible for the assault force they were expecting.

The chatter was minimal; everyone knew that most of them wouldn't come home if this went down as expected. This was a last bit of peace to spend with their thoughts, or with their partners.

The next hour was the tensest patrol Chance had spent since Lothos... but nothing happened.

"It's been a quarter of an hour since zero-mark - I say we head out there and check on things," the tabby said.

"Agreed," Jake nodded. "Send a squad and a half towards where the ships should be coming from, the rest with us to the moon."

Chance called in the commands, leaving the pilots with the least flight time behind as their backup as he pulled out further towards the moon, the rest of the squadron following him out.

"Enjoy the trip while you can, folks. It's either going to be nothing, or the nastiest greeting you can imagine," Chance told them.

"Here's hoping for a wild welcome," Commander Lychros said with a gruff howl as his wing and half of peeled off Furlong's to try and head off the ships they were expecting.

"Here's hoping we _don't_ get one," Jake shook his head, though he didn't transmit it.

"Jake, they've been training for this for months," Chance pointed out. "Besides - better to be eager for the fight and not find it than to not want one and run into it."

"I know," Jake said, his eyes on the stars and the moon between his sensors.

"Remember I'm here, linked to all the fighters, if you encounter something," Sara reminded them.

"I know," Jake smiled fondly, a little bit of stress unknotting.

"Not used to having an audience in a dogfight," Commander Lychros of Lothos quipped over the comm system. "Reminds me of the good old days."

"When would those be?" Chance asked him with a half-chuckle.

"When do you think, sniper?" Lychros laughed. "We need to find out which of us is really better, when this is all over with. Standard jets, not these alien ones."

"Just remember to get us all back home alive, and it's a deal," Chance grinned.

"A Raven Mark II and Ekon Si?" Jake suggested with a grin. "Assuming you know how to fly the Si."

"Who do you think tested it for our military?" Lychros chuckled. "Sounds good to me."

"You realize that we should probably go for the Mark I if we _really_ want to play fair," Chance smirked, turning off his comm for a moment.

"The II and the Si are technically comparable," Jake chuckled. "But if you want to give him an advantage, I won't stop you."

"Will this be a closed battle, or can anyone play?" Lady Kyla of Traveris joined in, daring the males to fight her.

"Okay, the II," Chance chuckled, turning the comm back on. "Sure thing, we won't even gang up on you," he grinned as he responded.

"Noted," she chuckled softly.

"No promises from _some_ of us," General Ten of the Xenquii Imperial Air Force told them with a hint of amusement in her normally serious voice.

"Why not set of a series of one on one tests, rather than a free for all?" Lieutenant Vechent of Tusandrin suggested logically.

"Well, if _everybody_ wants in on the act, then yeah, that makes sense," Chance chuckled. "Might as well set up a mini-airshow while everybody's in town."

"And miss a chance to show up the vaunted Sundance in a dogfight?" another male voice chimed in. "Not a chance, hot shot. I want to see how well you do without your gunner. True pilot against pilot."

"Hey, did I ever say I'd only go up with Jake?" Chance chuckled. "I'm game if everybody else is too."

"Two divisions then, one with gunners and one without," Lychros barked with amusement, excited at the prospect of the full event. "Winners take on Sundance."

"Gee, heck of a prize," Chance chuckled. "Besides, who says I want to sit out while you guys have your fun?" He teased.

"If you _want_ to fight each of us, we're game," Enforcer Lieutenant Witherquick chuckled. "We are all the best of the best, after all."

"Careful Lieutenant - I _know_ where _you_ are on the stats board," Chance shot back with a grin.

"You know where I _stood_ ," Witherquick countered. "You have no idea what I've picked up in the last fifteen years," he said as the chatter shifting to bragging and the occasional old war story as the several-hour long trip continued.

* * *

"We have signs of life," Jake brought the six fighters to focus on the mission in a heartbeat. "Transmitting energy shield coordinates."

"The scanners tell you anything about whether or not we've got the gear to punch through?" Chance asked him. "I know we're not loaded for a bombing run today."

"I'd be surprised if we could, even if we had both wings," Jake said with a concerned tone. "They clearly learned a few things from our first two meetings."

"Figures," Chance muttered. "We're on recon, not destruction," he told the others. "If you pick up anything on your sensors, announce it."

"We are being hailed," Sara told them both.

"Put it on the comm, for everyone, including Lychros' team," Chance ordered.

"Alien craft. You have been detected. Disarm your ships weapons and land, or we will respond with force," the voice said bluntly. "You will not be successful in another attack."

"Alien base, identify your race and origin," Chance replied calmly, giving Sara a moment to translate.

"We are Terran Expeditionary Force Alpha Two Niner. We repeat - disarm your ships' weapons and land."

"Now why didn't you tell us that when we tried to contact you the first time?" Chance asked politely.

"Sundance, we've got bogies coming around from behind us," Lieutenant Witherquick warned him. "Coming out of the moon's shadow."

"You have been warned. Refusal to comply will result in your destruction," the voice said calmly. "Disarm and land."

"Not going to happen," Chance told the humans. "You're the invaders, you are going to leave whether you like the idea or not."

"Lieutenant Vechent, let's see if they can keep up with you," Jake ordered, making a quick mental calculation of how long it would take Lychros' team to arrive.

"Activating cloak," Vechent confirmed, disappearing from sight and sensors.

"Let's hope he sticks to the plan," Chance murmured. "Come on guys, let's give 'em a distraction!" He said, before one of the bogies broke off to follow something else. "Dammit, doesn't fool 'em!"

"I gave it to him because I know he will," Jake said. "Weapons on line and ready. Have at them, flyboy."

As if on Jake's cue, the entire wing swung around, opening fire on the larger, heavier ships coming at them. The heavy fighters returned fire, but the smaller ships were able to steer clear before they were hit.

"We've got them on maneuverability, but they've got us on armor," Chance warned Jake.

"As expected," he nodded, running the enemy configuration through his system. "We came ready, though these guys are heavier than the previous batch. Focus on the different-looking one. It should be the wingleader. Get me a shot at the engines. The others are helping cover for us."

"Spin around to fire out the 'aft,'" Chance warned him, pulling up to head over the wing. "I'll get you behind him."

"Roger," Jake replied, shifting his viewscreens to show the direction while he coordinated silently with the four other fighters that were visible.

Chance used his own sensors to guide himself as he shot over the wing, then came down behind it. By the time he was there though, the fighters were already turning, protecting their engines.

"Gods dammit, they learned that one already!" Chance swore, pulling straight to the side to dodge a barrage of fire.

"But he can't dodge six at once," Jake said with a calm smirk as another of their wing opened up on the engines put in line with their blasters by avoiding Jake's. It caught the leader's ship in a crossfire that tested its heavy armor to the limit.

"I could use some help over here - they're not keeping up that well, but they know where to shoot," Vechent called over as the wingleader broke off.

"Jake, I'm thinking we've got what we came for here," Chance pointed out.

"Agreed," he nodded, passing the order along to both teams. "Fall back to meet up with Lychros' group."

They broke off, one of them dropping a bomb behind it and clearing the area. After a few moments, the bomb detonated, dragging all the fighters back closer to it, though the heavy alien fighters were more blatantly affected before another of the Kats fired a spray of missiles at them to cover their retreat.

"Gravity bomb's a good choice," Chance observed.

"One of a lot of weapons we're testing," Jake chuckled. "I think everything we've got is new to some extent, and most will work nicely with higher power. These are better shielded than the last batch."

"I kinda noticed," Chance nodded as the missiles practically bounced off the shields in question as they retreated, though the heavier fighters were no match for them at full speed. "You have anything that can make them _regret_ shooting at us in here? I know you'd been working on it."

"Several," Jake nodded uneasily. "I was planning to save them for the capitol ships."

"Might scare the crap out of them if we used one of the blue ones on a handful of fighters," Lieutenant Witherquick suggested on a scrambled frequency.

"True," Jake hesitated. "All right, General Ten, have at them."

"Will do," the old Siamese fem's voice chuckled and she turned around.

"A mid-range nuke," Jake told his partner. "Her ship is designed to take it."

"Right then! Clearing distance so your sister isn't the _last_ kit I sire," Chance said dryly, punching the engines. "I _really_ hope you're right about her ship."

"Doctor Hackle designed the shield," General Ten pointed out.

"You're right about the shield," Chance decided.

"Deploying Blue Boy," General Ten warned them, before peeling away from the large missile. "Detonating in three... two... one... mark!"

There were a few seconds, then Chance felt the shockwave rattle their ship.

"All fighters still active; leader breaking off," General Ten announced once their radios stopped crackling.

"Damn," Jake muttered, his ears flat. "That's one hell of a hit to take."

"They weren't at ground zero," Chance reminded him, before observing how they were flying on the sensors. "Jake, hit one of them, standard arms."

"Right," he nodded and locked onto the leader before opening fire with the blasters all his ships had.

The ship moved to dodge the shots, though it couldn't move fast enough to miss everything. After a hit to the engines, it stopped moving.

"Their shields are almost out," Chance grinned wickedly. "Just like I thought. Weird what happened after that though."

"Oh hell yeah," Jake grinned. "Start taking these buggers out!" he ordered, turning the half-squadron to focus on the leader, seeking to take them out one at a time.

"They know they're vulnerable," Chance warned him. "I'll get you locks as fast as I can, but be careful," he explained as the heavy fighters spread out to try setting up a crossfire against the approaching wing of smaller, faster ships.

"I see what they're doing," Jake assured him. "You keep us alive, I'll take the shots I can."

"I think the cloak will be more useful now. They won't have time to try tracking me while you've got them this busy," Vechent offered before disappearing from sight. A heartbeat later the lead heavy fighter lost it's battle to stabilize it's engines from the barrage from all sides and blew up, leaving the Kats to focus on another.

" _Damn_ that thing took a long time to go down, considering what all we hit it with," Chance murmured, shaking his head, wincing as he felt the ship warp briefly with a shot that clipped the tail.

"Incoming bogies; twelve smaller vessels approaching from the moon," Sarah announced calmly as they turned up on radar, two of the more heavily damaged fighters breaking off to retreat.

"Fall back to Aristal," Jake ordered. "Full power. The light guys can keep up with us. General Ten, drop a spread to cover us."

"Understood," she replied as Vechent appeared and joined them in the full-speed retreat, the Xenquii General's ship hanging back and dropping a series of pods that began following the enemy fighters with the same space-warping technology that the ships used.

The first missile hit one of the bigger ships, only blowing one of the wings off thanks to its shields having a chance to recover slightly. The next missile hit one of the lighter fighters, reducing it to shrapnel before the others focused on shooting down the remaining pods while the fleet from Aristal pulled back.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Jake asked Mayrie as Chance drove all three of them to the Thunderstorm, a bar and club that had been selected for the celebration now that everyone had reported in to their CO's and governments at home.

"I'll be fine," she smiled reassuringly at him. "I haven't been on a date like this in ages."

"They'll probably happen more often, now that we're together - besides, some of my wing'd like to meet you," Chance grinned. "And you can make sure I behave," he teased lightly.

"Will the Knights be here too?" she asked. "I know you've been working with others for ... whatever you're doing now."

"I'm sure most of them will be there, just to check out where we went, but not officially," Jake chuckled. "They're as curious as anybody right now."

"Which means yes, they'll be there," Chance smiled as they pulled into the packed parking lot across the street. "Keep an eye out in case there's any trouble though, okay? We're working with folks from all over the world, things might be a little tense when some of them show up at an Enforcer bar. Old tensions can die hard."

"The run for the door trouble, or duck and cover kind?" she asked seriously.

"Duck and cover unless I say otherwise," Chance explained. "There's a Lothosian officer with our group; I don't expect it's gonna turn into anything, but not all vets are as understanding as I am."

"Traveris and Xenquii aren't exactly popular either," Jake added. "Though not as much. Between our crews, I think we have every enemy nation on Aristal in one room tonight."

"You're kidding, right?" Mayrie asked, her fur bristling slightly. "This is _that_ big?"

"Yeah, it's _that_ big," Jake nodded as Chance found a parking spot. "Makes the Megawar alliances pale, and a black project in every government."

"I won't say anything... not that I know much to say," she admitted, smiling as Chance parked the truck.

"Everybody out," he grinned. "Oh, and Mayrie? Unless you like your beginner drinks extra strong, tell him you want it light on the alcohol. He likes to make them as strong as what Jake drinks."

"But not as strong as his," Jake added with a chuckle.

"Gotcha," she nodded and walked between the pair to the club that was well into a major party.

"Very few people like them as strong as I do," Chance grinned, before waving to the rest of his students that were there, most of them taking safe refuge of a sort in chatting with the Black Knights.

"Hey, Bosskat!" Jezebel grinned. "The lucky shekat?"

"No," he chuckled. "This is Mayrie, my girlfriend. Mayrie, this is Jezebel Taloes, the only civvie who made the tryouts for the squadrons."

"Oh, so you're the girl who took him off the market - congrats," Jezebel winked, offering Mayrie a hand.

"Thank you," Mayrie smiled in return. "How did you even find out about it?"

"A couple KiBs came to my apartment, offered me a chance at a job like no other, with great pay, but couldn't tell me anything else until I passed the entrance exams," Jezebel chuckled over her mixed drink. "I've done enough test pilot jobs to know a black project offer when I hear one, and they're always good."

"And enough flying in the airshows that I knew how good you were," Chance grinned. "C'mon, let's go meet my family," he said without irony, heading over to the empty seats that were waiting for them between the Black Knights and their new wings.

"About damn time y'showed up," Commander Lychros grinned. "We were just arguing about the Battle of Tirnan; you don't have a dog in that fight, what's your take on it?"

"Who says I don't?" Chance chuckled. "I was on the ground, I'm not gonna say anything against the guys who kept you and your wingmates from strafing us for six hours, even if you did manage to force a retreat with the threat. Didn't know you'd been up in that one; damn good flying on both sides."

"Now _that_ we can drink to," Tanner laughed, catching the waiter's eye. "First round's on the Knights, not counting the guests of honor."

"Your mate?" Jake asked in Lothosian with a nod towards the towards the brindle shewolf in full uniform, much like his own, that was sitting at Lychros' side.

Her ears perked up sharply in surprise, and gave him a second appraising looking over.

"I was an engineer before a gunner," Jake explained after giving his order to the waiter. "I know most major languages to some extent."

"Yes, Commander Lychros Recca," Lychros Seris introduced her.

"Lychros Recca?" Jake cocked his head. "Ciphers?" he asked in Lothosian.

"Yes," she nodded. "You, Raven Mark II, Barracuda boat, MBR-66?"

"Yes," Jake said, both of them sticking to her language.

"I can tell you're talking about your planes, but what's up?" Chance asked Jake in a whisper. "I can only pick up the basics."

"Sorry," he ducked his head slightly and answered in a normal tone. "I was just trying to be polite. Commander Lychros Recca is his mate, but I know her as a primary opponent in the cipher equipment department. She knows my work on the Raven, Barracuda boat and MBR-66 blaster. We were just confirming that we were who we suspected."

"I do speak Katian," Recca said politely.

"Pretty much all officers do," Seris added. "It's too common a language to not have the basics of."

"I was just wondering what was coming up," Chance smiled. "He's my partner, I like to know what he's getting himself into," he teased, reaching over to scratch Jake between the ears playfully.

Several officers around them snickered at the way Jake both objected and enjoyed it.

"Quit trying to steal my date," Mayrie pouted in mock irritation, though she was trying hard not to laugh at the pair herself. "I swear."

"How about I steal his instead?" Jake winked at her.

"Well, if you think you can handle her, just remember that she keeps up with me - on the dance floor too," Chance teased as Mayrie blushed, swatting his side with her tail.

"What am I ever going to do with you two?" She faux-groused.

"Enjoy being in the middle," Jake grinned and accepted his drink. "When you wear him out, I'll still be fresh."

"It's official - somebody's got to get a camera in that bedroom," General Ten grinned. "If she doesn't want to dance, maybe you could show an old soldier a good time?" She suggested with a low purr.

"I have dibs," Mayrie giggled, standing and holding her hand out for Jake's. "Let's see what you've got."

"I learned from some of the best," Jake chuckled and took her hand after leaving his drink on the table.

"Hope you don't mind?" Mayrie asked him as they headed out to the dance floor, Chance taking her drink and keeping an eye on it for when she got back. "I know you don't get out too much, but tonight's something special, after all."

"I don't mind," he chuckled. "It got me out of an awkward conversation with the General."

"What _was_ that all about? Just projects you two were on opposite sides of?" She asked him, starting to move with the music.

"Commander Lychros Recca and I were. We were both working on cipher equipment during the last war in Lothos," he explained. "General Ten was looking to spend the night with me."

"Ah - authoritative women, right," she smiled. "Want me to monopolize your time a bit, keep her from getting her hooks in you?" She teased him lightly as he swung her onto the dance floor.

"I don't think she'll be _that_ pushy," he smiled and drew her close. "And I don't want to make Chance look bad on the first date in front of the team," he added more quietly.

"Mmm ... he'd live, but thank you," she purred. "You're nice, but I think I'll have more fun if I stick with him for the night," she grinned. "When do you two have to be back at work with all of this again?"

"I'm sure you will," he smiled as the pace picked up. "Tomorrow, but I doubt any of us will show up before noon."

"Is it going to be dangerous again?" She asked him, the two of them spinning, surprisingly private on the crowded dance floor.

"More of the same," he said gently. "This was just the first battle. A major victory, yes, but by no means the end of it. I don't expect our schedule will let up for months yet."

"At least you'll have some time before you have to be in battle again," she murmured. "How often is it bad like this? Honestly, Jake, I'm not sure how much Chance sugarcoats things."

"This is worse than usual, but we typically have something major -- front line against an Omega, time trip or the like -- once a month or two. The difference is that we usually have very normal hours when things aren't on fire. We aren't usually the trainers."

"It's not going to be easy," she admitted. "Is there anybody I should talk to, about how to handle it?"

"I know there are support groups, and you have my family," Jake thought about it. "If things get marriage serious, we'll probably be transferring off the front line."

"Honestly, I'll be glad for it... I know he likes flying, but I don't think I could take it forever. You two... the Knights really are your family, aren't they?" She asked, glancing over at Chance joking with his wingmates.

"Especially for him," Jake nodded. "He's used to a lot of kin, and he doesn't have his blood family. They're his substitute. It tends to happen when you risk your life with a group every day for years. Most folks spend more time with their unit than with their family."

"How many of them have families of their own? Don't want to make things too stressful for him, it might if they think I'm getting in the way somehow."

"Several do, several don't," Jake smiled softly as they danced and talked. "Most relationships fail because the one who isn't an Enforcer doesn't understand why their mate has to be gone so much, or why they miss a birth, or anniversary, or isn't home when something happens. They go in expecting regular hours, and even on good years, that just doesn't happen. We have a schedule, but we're always on call to some level."

"Going to be like that even when you're off the front lines?" She asked him, moving away a bit as the song changed so she could pick up the rhythm.

"Depends on what we do," he shrugged. "Mine will be, since I'm going back to design work. His should be pretty stable once he pulls an instructor position at the Academy. Maybe not the nicest schedule, but a stable one."

"Why would you still get called off at all hours?" She asked him curiously.

"I wouldn't, but the hours I've kept for this project aren't that much different from what I did all the time. My time with the Enforcers has been really lazy by my standards," he chuckled at the idea. "R&D makes very good money, but an eighty to ninety hour work week is common, and I'd put in more than that."

"Ouch," she winced. "I guess I shouldn't ask what you do in your downtime then," she chuckled. "Sounds like you don't have any."

"I spent that in my workshop, building the TurboKat and some other pet projects," he chuckled. "You'd be amazed how much time you have when you only need three or four hours of sleep a night."

"Gee, maybe I should put you on kitten duty, when the time comes," she teased, licking his cheek. "You'd be up for it, from the sound of things."

"Except for the part about remembering to feed and change it," he said with a blush. "If it wasn't for Sara, the hanger's computer, I wouldn't remember that stuff for myself. I don't need much sleep, but I don't do well paying attention to physical needs either."

"Trust me, they don't _let_ you ignore their physical needs," she chuckled. "Did you help out with raising your sister much?"

"She's seventeen years younger than me," he shook his head. "I'd been out of the house three years before she came along. It's how my mom does it. One kit at a time. Sis moved out last year, so she's ready for her last litter."

"If she can have a fourth litter at a hundred, I'm sure she will, but no one's expecting she can. Grandma's spent her life raising kits, hers and her daughter's, and likely her granddaughter's as well. She's as gifted and dedicated as any of us, but her gift is in art, so it lets her stay home and raise the kits while their mom works. If I could have kits, I'm sure she'd do the bulk of raising them too."

"It's strange... you have a smaller family than anybody I've ever met, but you've got more of it in one place too," she admitted. "Of course, you'd need a small mansion for a Furlong family like that," she giggled. "You have any uncles or aunts?"

"The entire Clawson clan is less than a hundred, but we're almost all a name of note in our field," he nodded, happily losing much of himself to the music and motion he almost never indulged in. "I have an uncle we don't talk about, great-aunts and uncles. Clawsons don't breed well, but those that are born are taken good care of."

"Mmm... want me to shut up and just enjoy the dance?" She offered, pressing a bit closer to him, guessing it might not be a topic to cover too much more of.

"I wouldn't mind," he purred softly, enjoying the dancing and her closeness even without being interested in her.

Over with the other pilots and gunners, the action on the floor wasn't being missed.

"Are you sure you three are not part Wolf?" Lychros Seris chuckled deeply. "You share like joint Alphas."

"Thank you," Chance chuckled, earning a quizzical look from some of the Kats at his easy acceptance of what didn't _sound_ like a compliment. "But yeah, I'm sure. I know Jake's not competition; I want them to be good friends, but I know they'd never work as mates, and so do they."

Lychros Recca looked at each of them again, and nodded with an approving smile.

"They are unusual, even for a pilot/gunner team," Lieutenant Colonel Kathie 'Rumble' Firetail agreed. "Probably the strongest team I've met."

"How many teams do you know that've gone through the shit we have?" Chance grinned. "Besides, Jake and Mayrie have entirely different goals in life. She wants kits, and lots of 'em - already has three. Jake doesn't mind 'em, but he's not looking to start a clan of his own any time soon."

"That would require having sex," somebody snickered in the background. "His babies are weapons."

"His babies keep you alive, O'Malley," Chance pointed out with a grin, leaning back to look at the red-and-orange tabby. "So I'd try being a bit more grateful for that. If he'd started a family a while back, the Raven might still be on the Mark I."

"How does he have _time_ for all that?" Lieutenant Witherquick shook his head. "You sure he's a Kat?"

"I dunno, he still refuses the DNA tests," Chance said with a conspiratorial stage whisper. "Though he'd probably come up with a way to rig those, if he had to."

"I've seen him bleed a few times," Kathie pointed out. "But he could still be a cyborg, or nanotech. I know he's worked on both."

"And a thousand other things - I'm still partial to the 'young genius' idea, but everybody says that's just crazy talk," Chance snickered. "How're things going for the Knights?"

"Much less exciting now that our patented trouble magnets are elsewhere," she winked at him. "It would have been nice to have Black Sun in the air during Dark Kat's last attack, but we managed."

"Probably killed him not to be there too," O'Malley teased.

"Are you kidding? The Commander had to order us to stay on the ground," Vechent grinned. "Teacher over there was just about ready to take us up and show off."

"Please, like you guys weren't telling me to do it," Chance said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, we'd have been up for it, if we'd had to be. Better it didn't happen though."

"When _will_ we see your birds on the line?" Kathie asked. "As impressive as the Black Sun is, I can only imagine what these birds will do with you two at the controls."

"Does she have a name yet?" Captain Joan 'Paladin' Ritter, the gunner of the Sky Knight, asked. "Or personal mods?"

"Jake named ours Starlight, though it hasn't been settled yet," Chance said. "He named them all, but he's had his hands on them all while they were built and specialized."

"Not very macho," Major Tanner 'Shark' Evans, Kathie's pilot, observed. "Not a Black Knight name either."

"It's the purpose, Major," Chance chuckled. "Besides, when you do get a look at her, you'll see she's not a very macho ship, from the look of her. As for the Black Knight part... I suspect these ships won't be integrating too soon. They're too different, honestly," he admitted.

He didn't want to mention the other part - that he didn't think most of the ships would survive long enough to integrate.

"Does that mean you won't be coming back as a Knight?" Kathie asked, her ears flicking slightly. "You do have what it takes to lead a wing."

"Thank you," he smiled at the compliment. "I'm not planning on it though. The Black Sun's still there, and just wait until Jake's done tweaking the Ravens," he grinned. "But beyond that...." He looked back out at the dance floor, where Mayrie and Jake were both enjoying themselves. "She's got three kits, and _I_ have two on the way," he explained quietly.

"And she wants more," she nodded in understanding. "I'll get more serious in looking for a replacement," she promised. "There are a couple up and coming teams that could be good enough, with a little attention. Will she be raising your current pair?"

"One of them, eventually," Chance chuckled, turning back towards the group. "The other's already spoken for. Her mother'd actually be fine if I didn't have anything to do with her, but it's not my style. She doesn't mind that either, thankfully."

"The other's the one you're fighting for, Turmoil's kit?" Jezebel asked. "How do you know the new one's a girl? It hasn't been long enough to know how many, much less gender yet."

"Trip to the future - it's not a guarantee, but given that the mother's never had multiple births, and what I've seen, it's good odds," Chance chuckled. "But yeah, the other's Turmoil's kit. She deserves a real life, not whatever she got before."

"You've got a hell of a head start on the family building," Brad Whitestar chuckled. "You've already made up for how unlikely Jake is to have any. Who's the mother of the one you just sired?"

"At the risk of getting weird looks again, Tezla Clawson," Chance chuckled. "It's a strange story."

"So your first kit is by Turmoil, and your second, who you aren't raising, is by your partner's mother, and you're dating a girl with three by your brother?" Kathie couldn't stop laughing. "Dear Gods, Sundance, you are going to have the most convoluted inheritance tree in years."

"Nah," Chance grinned. "I'm keeping it simple - Tezla's kit will be mostly on her own, I won't have a huge amount for the ones who _are_ mine."

"Press," Dr. Bahur's rough Katian caught everyone's attention and drew it to the door where Ann Gora and her camrakat were walking towards them.

"Hey there, Miss Gora," Chance said easily. "Slow news day?"

"Whenever you are in the middle of it, it's never a slow day," she chuckled lightly. "Tell me, what brings such an unusual group together?"

No one missed how many of the foreigners had to make a visible effort to not respond and take charge of the interview. It was especially difficult for the two Alpha Wolves.

"Now, you know I can't tell you anything that PR doesn't want me to," Chance chuckled with a winning smile. "We're working on a top-grade flight team, best pilots from around the world, working on a new line of fighters."

"So what is the party about?" she pressed, mentally noting those that seemed to want to talk.

"Do Enforcer need a reason?" Tanner grinned.

"We had a good test run today," Chance chuckled. "First time a lot of them got up outside of the canyons, so we're excited to see that some of the new features are working well. New team of top flyers has to have top jets too, right guys?" He grinned at those around the table. "That's why we've got the eggheads out with us too," he teased, nodding his head towards Dr. Whitestar. "He and Jake are actually _talking_ to each other."

"Wow," she put on a good face of being amazed and turned her attention to the engineer. "What does that take?"

"A chance to show the world what the top designers of the last three generations can do," Whitestar said smoothly. "It's not just Jake and I, but Doctors Hackle and Redbrush, just for two of the better known examples. I'm sure your audience wouldn't be that interested in the science end of it, but when we're finished it's going to be very impressive. Of course, the full details are still classified - we might be working with our neighbors, but we're trying to keep some of our less upstanding citizens from finding everything out."

"What sparked this alliance?" she asked him, but also anyone willing to talk.

"Politics," Commander Lychros Seris of Lothos shrugged. "Orders for me."

"Same here," General Ten of Xenquii inclined her head slightly.

"Don't look at me, I was recruited blind," Jezebel Taloes chuckled. "I know less than most of these guys."

"I can honestly say I'd never thought of it before myself, either," Chance chuckled. "Had a meeting with the Commander and Miss Briggs after Jake finished tweaking a prototype, and things got rolling fast. Guess they just really liked his work's potential."

He knew by her look at she didn't buy it in the least.

"So what else can you tell us about this new alliance?" she pressed forward. "It seems quite unusual. Lothos, Traveris, Xenquii, Balkita, Diqui, Keldina, Kaleesin, Tusandrin, Veldt, Xacal ... and I missing any?"

"The Golden Kingdom," Captain Eniara said.

"Imitia," one of the pilots piped up.

"Taelyn and Mundrauli too," Brad Whitestar added.

"We've got a couple researchers from Sayden Bay too," Chance added. "They're not out here tonight though. Yeah, it's a pretty broad group... I'd been thinking it was mostly a publicity stunt at first, but it's working out pretty well."

"Is this a permanent unit?" she asked. "Or will everyone be going home now that the new craft is proven?"

"We're not sure," Chance said easily. "It's up to our respective Commanders."

"So what is your unit for?" she asked.

"Anti-Omega," Chance said. "For problems like Mutilor where the whole world is at stake."

"Miss Gora," Dr. Redbrush said with a winning grin, "why don't you let Johnny there get himself a drink and join me? There's plenty of time to go over this, I doubt you're live right now. Besides, something might come up later on," he winked, standing with a gesture towards the dance floor.

"All right," she smiled agreeably, quickly clicking the digital recorder in her earrings on. "Perhaps we can talk about some of your other projects."

"I'd be happy to," the Fox grinned, taking her hand and leading her out to the dance floor.

"Hope I didn't give her too much," Chance mused when Johnny went off to get that drink. "She's good at ferreting things out... if she smells a rat, she'll find it."

"She does," Commander Lychros Recca told him. "Though she may accept the obvious, that this is a secret project and she won't get the truth no matter what."

Chance, and several of the other Knights, burst into laughter that didn't end until they were all out of breath.

"What is so funny?" Lychros Seris looked between them.

"It seems we missed the showdown," Jake said with an amused tone as he walked back to the group with Mayrie. "How'd it go?"

"Well, we didn't spill anything, and I just learned that Commander Recca _definitely_ doesn't know Ann Gora," Chance said, wiping a tear from his eye. "That is one shekat who does _not_ give up. She's been known to sneak into nuclear facilities because she was ticked off at being stood up for an interview with the manager. Even odds we have to rescue her from an alien battleship before the year's out."

"She did _what_?" Seris' eye went wide. "And she wasn't shot?"

"She's very good at _that_ too," Chance chuckled. "Besides, it turned out she'd been stood up because Dark Kat had replaced the people inside with semi-sentient cabbages. They didn't know about the interview. Girl's... different."

"MegaKat City has a very strong free press," Dr. Bahur told the Wolves. "At most she would have faced a slap on the wrist for it."

"And James is going to have an evening with a mind as sharp as his own," Jake smiled at the pair on the dance floor.

"He _can_ keep his mouth shut, right?" Chance asked him. "Even if she pushes it as far to get info as you _know_ she's willing to?"

"He's my mentor, buddy," Jake assured him. "He's as good as I am. She'll have a story and we'll have our secret."

"I think I might want to check the news tomorrow then," Chance chuckled. "Worth checking though - wouldn't be the first time she's sucked a story out of somebody the old fashioned... oh crap," he blushed as he caught Mayrie's glare at him. "I'll shut up now."

"She's got you on a _short_ leash," Jezebel laughed at the pair. "And her kits aren't even yours yet."

"I just expect a _little_ class out of my boyfriend," Mayrie smiled, leaning over to give Chance a light peck on the cheek before taking her drink back from him and taking a sip. "She hasn't actually done that before, has she?"

"Yeah," Chance nodded. "It's the first time any of us has really gone out since training started. At least as enough of a group for her to notice."

"I wonder who called her," Jake mused, watching his mentor dance with the reporter. "Bet he comes away with at least as much intel as she does."

"We can hope for it," Chance chuckled. "At least we know he'll probably have a fun night," he grinned. "So, how'd you two get on?"

"Don't worry, you don't have anything to be nervous about," Mayrie winked, leaning against him lightly. "But it _was_ nice to get a chance to dance."

"I'll take you out after you've finished your drink," Chance promised, giving her a light kiss.

"Does that mean Jake's available now?" Ten purred with a wicked grin.

"Only if he's not worn out already - you know these eggheads, they don't get to dance very often," Chance teased, trying to give Jake an out.

"It does not," Jake summoned up enough courage to stop her. "Thank Traveris. I'm not interested in that anymore."

"Somebody tried taking you as a pet?" Lady Kyla asked. "Poor choice, on their part."

"Very poor choice," he agreed, a bit of tension towards her relaxing.

Ten, among others, looked between the pair.

"Without too many details, how did that stop your interest?" Seris finally asked what everyone wanted to know.

"Having your balls cut out tends to do that," Jake shrugged.

Everyone looked at Lady Kyla, who shrugged herself. "It's standard practice. It's rare to try it on foreigners though."

"Apparently, the gal who had him was stubborn," Chance sighed. "I'd been hoping it wouldn't come up, honestly. Kind of an awkward topic, for obvious reasons, but it has turned him off dating pretty well."

"It's also very old news," Jake added. "Now that everybody is clear on why I'm not interested, let's get back to the party."

"That sounds good to me," General Ten agreed. "I'll buy the next round?" She suggested.

"You're on," Jake grinned, only to turn around to see a tomkat with muscle to spare and drunk enough to swagger stalking right for them.

"That Xenquii bitch giving you trouble?" he asked Jake bluntly.

"Hu?" Jake blinked. "No. It's fine."

"That 'Xenquii bitch' is General Ten of the Xenquii Empire," Chance added. "And here at the special request of the Commander and Deputy Mayor. She just brought up some bad memories, nothing serious."

"Go enjoy your drink," Jake added, apparently only managing to anger the big gray tom more.

"Whole damn city's gone traitor," the drunk tom snarled and lunged forward to tackle the century-old Siamese shekat.

Without so much as a blink she casually shifted to the side of his trajectory and grabbed his shirt he got close, taking full control of his direction as she used his own momentum to send him head-first into the wall above the booth the Wolves and several others were sitting in.

"You can't _all_ be that drunk," Chance said seriously as he saw some of the tom's friends get to their feet, his ears going flat as he stood as well. "If you're gonna haul his tail out of here to sober up, fine, otherwise, sit back down."

He saw their eyes shift away from him, and realized that both Commander Lychros' and Lieutenant Vechent of Tusandrin were now with him, and the rest of the forty-some military officers from over a dozen countries were ready. It all gave a more than slightly intimidating mass to the demand. For a brief moment, Chance thought they'd still join the fight, but common sense won out and they sat down again.

"Now, for you," Seris turned and picked up the tom by the scruff and brought him eye level to make the point that the drunk _wasn't_ the biggest or strongest there. "We have a little game we play in Lothos with challengers like you. You run. We hunt. Get home before we catch you, and we leave you be."

"Otherwise you're the gamma bitch of the pack," Recca smirked, her tail high and wagging in excitement.

Chance would've said something, but he could tell that Seris at least wasn't serious about doing this right now and he'd keep his mate in check.

"You fucking dogs wouldn't _dare_ ," the tom growled, though his tail tucked up between his legs reflexively.

"Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't," Chance said darkly. "But you're _already_ going to be reported for assaulting a foreign dignitary. Do you have any _idea_ how long you'll be taking the place of burned out street lights while IA works over your entire _career_ if you get _three_ charges?"

"Better than what _we_ do to those who assault a visiting officer," Vechent rumbled deeply, leaning against the booth. "Be grateful he's the CO and you're on MKC soil. It's the most lenient any of our countries are."

"Quite true," General Ten said gravely. "Now leave, or I will request your head in compensation."

"Bunch of -"

" _Don't_ say it," Chance interrupted him in the middle of his lips forming the 'f.' "Get out, and expect to turn in your sidearm tomorrow. They _will_ be getting a formal complaint."

Seris nodded and let go as he stepped back, leaving the tom sitting on the table debating for a moment what he was going to do.

"Watch your back, _Major_ ," the tom hissed at Chance as he stalked pass.

"Don't," Chance put a hand on Jake's arm when he saw the start of a reaction he'd seen too many times to ignore. "He's just drunk. Let IA handle it."

"All right," Jake kept his voice down. "But if he comes after you...."

"He's all yours," Chance promised. "He won't though. It's bluster, and he _knows_ that I could take him apart, let alone what the rest of you'd do to him."

"We wouldn't have to worry about IA," Tanner mused. "They wouldn't find the pieces, at any rate."

"Not once we finish using it for fuel," Jake snickered. "If it'll run on beer, it'll run on him."

"I was thinking of something more traditional, but that works too," he chuckled. "You're okay, General?" He asked, more formality than actual concern - he could see she was, but it didn't hurt to be polite.

"Yes, Major Evans," she smiled and inclined her head before looking at Chance. "How much trouble is he likely to get for this?"

"If he's _lucky_ , he'll be suspended without pay for a stretch and then on report until somebody's decided he's learned his lesson," Chance explained. "Of course, if you wanted to press charges, it could go farther, but humiliating him like you already did will be worse for him in the long run."

"Then I will leave it at that," she decided. "It would have been interesting to see if he could survive the Xenquii Army's boot camp," she said thoughtfully. "He has a very thin skin for insults."

"A lot of Enforcers do," Chance admitted. "Especially vet's. Unfortunately, the more alcohol you put into them the less sensible they get. I try to do better myself... and so do _most_ vets," he added. "It's just a large, vocal minority that can't handle themselves."

"That is something I have learned in my time here," she acknowledged. "I have not thanked you well enough for it either. Your press seams to focus on the vocal minority?"

"They make good copy, and they're willing to talk," Chance nodded. "You get better ratings reporting on the people who _don't_ think like everybody else, especially if they're persuasive enough to convince some borderlines."

"I know it's weird, but they also keep _winning_ ," Seris added. "There's something to it."

"They have not actually challenged Xenquii," Ten said rather formally. "When it has lasted as long as we have, there will be something to it."

"Okay, kits, that's enough international politics," Jake broke it up, surprising most of Chance's crew, but not his own. "We're here to celebrate, not debate things that haven't been settled since before recorded history and won't be settled in our lifetimes."

"And _I_ owe a pretty lady a dance," Chance agreed. "C'mon, Mayrie, let's hit the dance floor," he grinned, taking her hand and standing up with her.


	49. F.E.W.

May was still on cloud nine. She'd won prizes before, even placed first, but nothing was like today when Jake had spoken in front of the entire FEW and called her up to formally introduce her as his protégée to the entire assembly. It was exciting when he said it in casual conversation, or in introducing her to his engineering team. But this ... this was a whole 'nother level.

This was a formal, binding commitment for her performance in front of everyone who was likely to matter in either of their lives. This went _way_ beyond taking an interest in her because his partner was dating her mother. Even if Chance and Mayrie broke up, this would remain, and it would mark them both for life.

It also meant that she'd have to push herself harder. Getting into a good college wasn't the goal anymore - it was going to be matching her mentor, or exceeding him, if she could. She'd _definitely_ have to buckle down.

And hope that her mother didn't get too worried about it all, though she seemed okay with it all right now.

"You really think I have that much potential?" She asked him as they walked out.

"Yes, I do," Jake smiled over at her. "You have a great mind for design and engineering."

"Thanks," she smiled back shyly. "Do you think we'll get a chance to spend another weekend at your workshop? One that doesn't end up where the first one did?" She blushed deeply.

"At least now you should be able to time it out so you aren't as surprised," Jake said easily. "And yes. There will also be a lot fewer people and we'll have a lot more freedom to play around."

"That'd be nice," she smiled. "Thanks for understanding... I really didn't know it was gonna happen. And uhm... thanks for not trying anything either. I'm a little surprised you didn't mention it to me earlier, that's all."

"I didn't figure it out until I did tell you," he said gently, waving and smiling at a few folks as they left the coliseum turned science fair from hell. "I'm almost nose-dead to it."

"Oh, that makes sense," she nodded slightly. "Uhm... I hope it's not a problem, that I tripped over the... stuff... I did?" She asked him, blushing even more brightly.

"It freaked your mother out," he chuckled deeply and reached over to ruffle her hair in an effort to be friendly. "I was just surprised you didn't go on the internet for what you wanted."

"I didn't know where to look," she admitted. "So I opened up the document folder. Didn't know you were into that sort of thing," she said as they reached his SUV. "Or that _anybody_ was," she giggled.

"I wasn't trying to keep it a secret," it was his turn to flush slightly as they climbed in. "Not to get too deep into it, but if you can imagine it, and probably even if you can't, there are people who get off on it."

"Probably right," she nodded, buckling in. "It was a little extreme, but ... well, parts of it were pretty hot, I thought."

"What parts?" he asked, honestly interested. "If you promise that your mom won't find out, I'll show you how to find what gets you the hottest. She'd kill me if she knew I was helping you find porn, or that your first dildo was mine."

"Yeah... hope you could wash that one?" She blushed. "I wasn't sure, but I couldn't think of anything else to do with it but put it back when Cathie walked in. And uhm... the part where he was tied up... that it was all guys was kinda hot too, I thought," she giggled shyly. "Do Mom and Chance know?"

"Yes, I'm very good at washing them," he chuckled. "Chance knows a lot, your mom knows that I prefer guys, strongly, but not much else," he nodded and turned the car on. "You know, we have a few hours before you have to be home. Want to spend it at the workshop? Do you understand why you shouldn't talk about my preferences around most folks?"

"Sure," she nodded. "And yeah, I know. That's why I didn't bring it up until we were in the car, actually saying anything that'd give details out."

"Thank you," he inclined his head slightly. "I hate having to hide, even to the extent I do, but it could get me, and Chance, in a lot of trouble if the wrong people found out while I'm still active duty. Now, do you want to work on a project, or find out about porn and dildos?"

"Uhm... how about the latter," she blushed with a giggle. "That one file and the bullet Cathie gave me aren't that much," she admitted. "Even if I don't have much time for any of them."

"You will a couple times a year," Jake winked at her before pulling into traffic. "I'll introduce you to Sara too. She's who keeps me alive when I get too deep in a project to remember things like eating and sleeping."

"She work out at the field?" May asked him curiously.

"She's the computer," he chuckled. "An AI that SkyTech built for me, sort of a nursemaid I'd actually listen to."

"Get along with computers better than people, huh?" She giggled. "She's really a full AI?"

"Yes, she is. It was more they did a financial analysis and decided that it was cheaper to build her than to pay two, if not three, people to watch out for me. We've been a pair for a long time, kinda like Chance and me, but twenty years instead of four. She does a lot more than what they originally thought she would, but that comes with an adaptive program meant to see to my needs. As she came on line as an AI and not just an advanced computer, she expanded what 'care for Jake' meant. She probably is my real mate, even though we don't sleep together."

"That would be kinda awkward," she giggled. "Computers are nice, but they don't cuddle worth a darn."

"No, they don't," he agreed. "They are great if you like keeping strange hours and can spent a week or two before going home."

"At least when they can talk," she grinned. "Were you planning on introducing me to her already?"

"Eventually, yes," he nodded as they paused at a traffic light. "She's a secret like me preferring guys. Enough people know that it's not really a secret, but it's important not to mention she's an AI to someone who doesn't already know. She's my assistant to everyone else, a burgundy on black tabby shekat with long, dark red hair, a black tail and bright green eyes."

"They can see her? Or they only see her in video conferences and stuff?" May blinked, trying to figure out if the tech was around to allow that.

"No, just if you need to talk about her and pretend she's a Kat and not a computer. I'll show you a photo of what we've decided she looks like, but it's just a photo manipulation," he shook his head. "If you spend much time with me, she's bound to come up. It's easier to talk about her like she's my assistant and a Kat than to try to edit her out."

"Okay," she nodded. "It just seemed a little strange you were talking about how she looked. What's she like?" May asked him.

"She's ... caring implies emotion, but that is fairly accurate. Her core programming is to take care of me, specifically. She makes sure I eat, sleep, bathe and all the self-maintenance things that I tend to forget about when I'm working on a major project. Originally she didn't do much more than give a verbal alert that I should do something, and how long I'd worked without a break.

"Over the years, she's grown in capabilities as she's come into her AI existence. These days she does that, but she'll order food, call the cleaning service to clear out spoiled food and dust from home if I'm gone too long, pay the bills so I don't have to worry about it, order movies I'm likely to enjoy ... she's even called Chance to drag me out of the workshop when I've been up too long. She's great for bouncing ideas off of as well, and digging up information that's useful for a project. Whatever 'take care of Jake' means, she'll do it."

"Wow," May's eyes widened as it sunk in. "Wh...." she ducked down as hard as she could on reflex at the crack of something hard against the windshield.

"Enforcers alerted," a female voice came from the dashboard.

"Unbuckle, curl up on the floor," Jake ordered sharply as he opened the door, blaster in hand.

"Shooter is leaping from the fire escape nine meters directly in front of you," the voice said.

"Got it," Jake nodded and bolted from the SUV towards the shooter.

"S-Sara? Is that you?" May asked as she huddled on the floor, shaking with fear. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yes, May," the voice responded. "Jake is very good at what he does," she reminded her. "He is an Enforcer, one of their finest."

"I know - do you know who it was? Why they shot at us? Kats, Mom's gonna be _pissed_...."

"His face is not in any criminal or security database," Sara told her. "So I do not currently know. Jake will get answers from him. Everything will be fine, May."

"Nobody's ever shot at me before, I'm a little rattled," May pointed out. "Has he got him yet?"

"Not yet," Sara said as sirens approached. "It won't be long though. I hope no one shoots at you again. You can sit up now if you want. There are no enemies in sensor range."

"Okay," May nodded, reluctantly sticking her head up above the dash carefully, looking around for any sign the AI might be wrong. "Listening the whole time?"

"Yes," Sara said. "It is part of my duties to be ready when he needs something."

"You watch everything he does?" May asked, slipping back up into the seat, her heart still pounding.

"Not everything, by direct request, but I do listen outside the apartment whenever I can," she said as Enforcers came up on either side of the large SUV.

One cop came up with his blaster drawn as he looked inside the driver's door.

"It's just me, I'm talking to Jake's assistant on his radio," she said, indicating the comm unit on the dash in case Jake was called out in an emergency.

"Are you okay?" his manner immediately changed. "Where is Jake?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," she nodded. "He went after the guy who fired the shot," she explained. "I don't know where he went for sure, since he had me hide. Sara? Do you know where he is?" She asked, leaning to the comm to keep up the act.

"He took off down the ally directly across from the driver's door," Sara told them. "He is ... one block down and one to your right, and struggling with the perpetrator."

"Call it in, I'm on my way," the officer nodded, taking off to follow, sure that somebody as important as Major Clawson probably had some sort of tracker on him that his assistant was using.

"Why don't you come sit in the cruiser?" his partner suggested as he opened the passenger side door. "There are soda and cookies."

"No offense, but I think I'd rather stay in here. The first bullet didn't get through, if whoever this is gets loose, I think I'd rather be in something that'll stop the second," May said, running the window of the SUV back up.

The uniformed tom walked around the front of the vehicle and got in the driver's side, closing the door. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" he asked gently.

"I can't tell you much," she said, shaking her head. "Jake was driving me back from a FEW meet, we were talking about Sara ... then somebody shot at the car," she pointed at the bullet wedged in the windshield. "He stopped and told me to duck, then took off after the guy who'd shot at us... I guess he saw him coming down from a fire escape."

"How do you know he was on the fire escape?"

"Jake said it on the way out - I think he was letting Sara know more than anything else," May explained, thinking quickly. Sara couldn't possibly have told her, after all.

The officer nodded. "Did he say anything else about who he was chasing?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "He was mostly worried about getting me under cover and making sure he caught the guy before he could shoot anybody... he said something about a drop from the ninth floor though, that's pretty impressive."

"Yes, very impressive," the officer nodded just as his comm beeped for attention.

"All units on Clawson, subject is 10-4."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes, that is good," the officer smiled at her. "It means he's in custody, and no one was injured."

"Phew," she sighed in relief, hoping that Jake wouldn't end up contradicting anything in her story... she thought that was what she'd heard, but she could be wrong. "I might've misheard something in the excitement, I was kinda focused on getting under cover."

"It's all right," he assured her. "It doesn't sound like anyone was hurt. No one is going to call on you to testify from the sound of things."

"Hope not," she nodded. "Is there anything else you need to know?" She asked him, trying to be helpful.

"No," he said gently. "Just relax. There will be some paperwork, but I think the excitement is over."

"Okay," she nodded. "Thanks for staying here," she said gratefully as she noticed Jake coming back to the vehicle.

"Your...." he paused.

"Uncle's partner," she said. "Major Jake Clawson," she offered, not sure if he'd know him. "My uncle's Major Furlong."

"Sundance and Raven?" he blinked in surprise as the names registered. "Well, the paperwork might take a little longer then. The higher the rank, the more fuss gets made," he looked at the windshield and the high-powered bullet lodged in it. "What is this made of?" he tapped the 'glass'.

"I've got _no_ idea, but whatever it is, I'm glad for it," May said honestly. "I'd guess laminated high-impact polycarbonates, but it might be a design of his own."

The officer's jaw dropped and he stared at her. "I think I know why the Major is so interested in you," he shook his head. "He has quite a reputation as an inventor."

"He's earned it," she said seriously, grinning as she spotted Jake walking back. "What happened?" She asked him excitedly as he reached the SUV, her nerves giving way to adrenaline.

"Whack job taking pot shots at the ruiners of society," Jake shrugged. "He's claiming he's one of many, but I have my doubts. Thanks for staying with her, Officer Barns."

"No problem, sir," he nodded and got out.

"Do we have to go in with them?" May asked him as he closed the door.

"Thanks to my rank, I 'get' to do the paperwork later," he smiled at her. "I can take you home, or you can run loose in my hanger under Sara's supervision."

"Mom'd probably throw a fit if I didn't go home after something like this," May pointed out. "So probably there... one of these weekends, we're gonna manage to not get interrupted," she sighed.

"All right," he nodded and reached over to squeeze her shoulder. "Next weekend?"

"Gonna have to be the one after - next weekend I'm with my Dad, remember?" She pointed out. "I _really_ don't think he's gonna like the idea of giving me up for a weekend. You really don't think there's anybody else out there with that guy?"

"Not today, at least," he nodded and bucked up. "He wasn't targeting _me_ at any rate, just the fancy vehicle. The cops should be able to handle him and his friends."

"Okay," she nodded. "I... _guess_ that's good. That he wasn't shooting at you, anyways. I just hope nobody else gets hurt."

"It's good," he assured her. "Buckle up, and I'll take you home, at least until your mom calm down enough to let you visit again."


	50. With Kin Like These

Chance made a low sound, just enough to catch Jake's attention and draw him away from the main group of researchers working on yet more specialized fighters and weapons in his workshop in the months after their second assault on the humans on the moon.

"Hey there," Chance purred as Jake came close. "Can you sneak away for the night?"

"Not if I don't want an alarm sounded," he chuckled deep in his chest. "But I can get away. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking we might head out and have a little fun," Chance grinned. "You've been working for weeks without a real break. I miss my mate," he said, leaning in close to whisper.

"You have a girlfriend," Jake teased him. "Sure. Why don't we go looking for Mice?"

"I was thinking something a _little_ more local, and a little more likely to only take one night, instead of a week," Chance chuckled. "Come on, I'll meet you at the truck."

"All right," Jake nodded and went to make his excuses before walking out to meet his partner and mate. "What did you have in mind?" he asked as he got in.

"I was thinking of heading out to the Stonewall," Chance explained. "We can be snuggly there without having to worry about it, have a few drinks, dance, maybe get something to eat... see where it goes from there?" He added with a promising purr.

"Sounds good," Jake smiled and leaned over to nuzzle him before he had to behave while they passed the guards on the way out. "Did you remember, or just good timing?"

"If you're talking about our anniversary, I remembered," Chance purred as they entered the highway. "Did you, before I mentioned a date night?" He asked teasingly.

"I remembered, I just wasn't sure how much it mattered," he smiled shyly.

"No, but this _is_ our first anniversary, at least if you look at the calendar. I can't really track how long it is to the day in reality," Chance admitted. "Time travel sucks for that sorta thing."

"And for working which event you were counting from if you did," he chuckled weakly. "First night, first time we said it, when you gave me this," fingered his collar. "Only one was in the now."

"Mmm... very true," Chance nodded. "So don't think about it too much, let's just have a good night, okay?" He grinned. "Has anybody asked you about the collar?" He asked curiously.

"It's been noticed, but no one's actually _asked_ yet," Jake chuckled. "I expect it'll get a lot more attention when we're actually back on the flight line. Most of my crew probably assumes it's either you, or my attempt to keep interest away. It wouldn't be the first time I made it look like I was off the market."

"Oh? So how'd you do it last time?" Chance asked him with a grin.

"Wedding collar," he said simply, relaxing and watching the city pass by. "A little more blatant than this."

"Does the trick," Chance nodded. "So... how are things going, with the new setup?"

"I like it, for all it's not a fair test," he reached over to put a hand on his mate's leg. "I don't feel nearly as guilty being gone a few extra hours, and I do kinda like knowing who you're spending the time with. It never bothered me, but it's ... nice ... knowing."

"And you like her enough to be able to handle living with her?" Chance asked him. "Kind of going to be a key part of it, when it happens."

"I think so," he nodded. "May I definitely can, and Carrie seems quiet enough. Has Mitch settled any? He's the problem, if any will be."

"Yeah, I think he has," Chance nodded. "Talking to the Protector seemed to change something with him... maybe he got religion," he chuckled. "Seriously, I think there's something on his mind, but he seems to have it under control... next weekend we have a chance, maybe we should try spending some time with them again? All of us?"

Jake winced, but nodded. "That would be good. May and I will have plenty of weekends, and weeks, to play in the shop together."

"Speaking of, Mayrie was wondering just what's involved with the whole May being your protégée thing. May's acting like it's a huge deal, but not saying much that makes sense."

Jake chuckled and relaxed. "I'm sure. It wouldn't make much sense to an outsider. You know that James Redbrush is my Mentor, like I'm now May's Mentor, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded, glancing over when he could.

"It's very much like adoption, only ten times harder to shake. In addition to teaching her and introducing her around, I'm responsible for making sure she learns right and wrong in our field, and does well with herself. My success, and my detour into the Enforcers, both reflect on James, and her successes, or failures, will reflect on me. I pity the person who was Dark Kat's Mentor, if he had one, when his name becomes known. Their life in society is going to be all but over.

"It also works the other way around too. That I can say I'm James Redbrush's protégée has opened more than a few doors for me, and no doubt contributed to closing the Enforcer ones. It will do the same for her, opening many doors and smoothing the way to many jobs.

"But it is also a binding family-like arrangement. If something happens to me, James will finish her training and mentor her as his own because I was his and she is mine. If something happens to him while she is under his mentorship, one of his senior protégées will take over. She will never be abandoned, even if there are no direct links left. By the time you go five or six levels out, everyone with a Mentor owes fidelity to everyone else who had one."

"Whoa," Chance blinked. "No wonder she's hyped about it. And if you already had plans to spend time just with May next time, that's fine, I just meant that some time we want to try getting them used to _you_. Mitch seems to be settling in pretty well with me as the uncle who plays video games and watches movies with him his Mom wouldn't necessarily approve of," Chance chuckled.

"I'm sure," Jake couldn't help but laugh. "Porn yet, or just racy stuff?"

"Oh God, are you kidding me?" Chance snorted. "Rakenju is the furthest I've gone, and some of the tamer ones there. Mayrie would have my balls for earrings if I was showing Mitch porn at this age, and Thomas would be the one slitting me open so she could get them. At least they'd agree on something," he smirked.

"Godda love double standards," Jake couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "You know May went into heat the other week at my shop, just before the invasion should have happened?"

"You didn't...." Chance tried not to choke.

"No, no," Jake waved it off. "Thankfully she was more in the 'why can't I focus' than 'fuck me now' mood. But I let her on my office comp while she waited for Mayrie to come, and her mother got an eyeful of one of my harder core gang-bang flicks that she was watching to get off with."

"Wonderful," Chance sighed. "I'm sure she wasn't happy about it, but given the circumstances, she couldn't _really_ blame you. It's not like you'd opened up the file for her and plopped her down in front of it, y'know? There's a bit of a difference between 'you had this, and my kit tripped over it on her own' and 'you had this, and you showed it to my kit.' That'd be where the main difference was, for Mayrie at least. For Tom... let's not even go there right now."

"Agreed, and if it was going to be an issue, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now," Jake added. "It's been weeks."

"I would have, at least," Chance agreed. "Glad she was with you when it kicked in though. Probably the best guy to be around," he chuckled slightly. "Does this mean she knows about us? Or just that you're into guys?"

"She knows I'm pretty exclusive to guys, though I didn't give any details on the why," he said. "And she understands why it's important to not bring it up unless she's sure everyone in the area already knows. One major advantage of someone like her; she already understands how to keep a secret very well."

"What do you mean, someone like her?" Chance asked curiously. "Just being smart doesn't mean you're that used to keeping secrets, I wouldn't think."

"Someone who's already worked with them. You don't get invited back to an R&D space if you can't keep your mouth shut about what you saw, and she has her own projects to keep quiet about. She's not an expert or anything, but she's good for casual conversations. Remember the guy that tried to put a bullet threw my windshield?"

"Yeah, I remember it - not easy to forget," Chance pointed out.

"Well, May had to improve with the cop that stayed with her to cover for what Sara told us," he explained. "She did a good job too."

"That's good," Chance nodded. "Think we should let her in on the truth, at some point? Better than her catching us kissing and freaking that I'm back to my old tricks on _both_ of you."

"They _all_ need to know," Jake said firmly. "For that reason. Right now I'm just not mentioning it, but if I'm asked, I'll tell them the truth. You're the one with the most to lose, so I figured you'd be the one to decide when to talk."

"Well, May's the one who's most likely to take it well, and to keep it quiet," Chance pointed out. "How well _do_ you think she'll take it?"

"Pretty well, assuming telling her isn't completely bungled," Jake said thoughtfully. "I think I'd want Mayrie there, so she knows that this isn't a surprise to her. She's still in the very early stages, but she does like a fair amount of my porn."

" _Definitely_ want Mayrie there when she finds out," Chance agreed. "When they _all_ agree, I think, so there's no way they can think we're lying to keep it a secret."

"Yeah," Jake nodded. "Do you want to be there too?"

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea," Chance nodded. "Start out with May, get the other two later, I think."

"How soon do you want to bring it up?" Jake asked after a moment of watching the cool city night pass.

"Maybe give it a couple more weeks? See if Mayrie keeps me around after I tell her about the IML," Chance chuckled. "Still have to mention that to her."

"Oh yeah," Jake blushed as the event snapped to the forefront of his mind. "I forgot about it, with all that's going on. It's next month, isn't it?"

"Yeah - just three weeks off," Chance nodded. "I've been putting in extra hours in the gym when I can, trying to keep myself in decent shape for it. Don't usually spend this much time behind a desk," he chuckled.

"Gives you some appreciation for the hours Commander Feral must put in to stay in shape," Jake smiled faintly. "It's easy enough for me, but I'm not a huge fan of food or sleep," he teased a bit.

"I'm still half-convinced that the Commander's just a robot wearing a fur coat," Chance chuckled. "It would certainly explain a lot."

"It would, I don't think he looks much different than when he graduated," Jake laughed. "Speaking of, what's the going theory on me?"

"Benevolent alien sent here from a dying planet," Chance smirked. "Though some people question the 'benevolent' part when you get in a joking mood."

"I bet," he laughed easily. "I'm sure they'd really get stuck on that if they knew about Sara."

"Nah, they'd just switch back to sentient robot," Chance laughed back. "You want to get changed before we hit the club? We could still head home quick from here."

"I think so," he nodded. "Overalls aren't exactly club wear."

"Very, very true," Chance purred. "Unless you've got something nice and provocative under them," he winked, turning off to head back home.

* * *

"So, enjoying yourself?" Chance asked Jake with a purr as they retired to the bar from the dance floor, a basket of spicy wings, a beer and a microbrew dark ale already waiting for them.

"Very much," Jake teased Chance's palm with the back of his fingers. "I forget too easily how much there is to life outside the lab."

"Mmm... well, we need to fix that," Chance purred, turning to kiss him as they sat back down. "Love ya, hon," he smiled, raising his mug. "Here's to several years more."

"Many, many years," Jake agreed, lifting his mug to the toast. "And reminding me is definitely your job."

"I'm not about to complain," Chance purred, working on his drink and the wings. "How're things going with the lawyers, do you know?"

"She's given up the tom with no fuss, but she's fighting us on the girl," Jake recalled a conversation he was only half paying attention to at the time. "The lawyer doesn't think she has much of a chance of winning though, once a paternity test proves you are her father."

"Great," Chance sighed. "What are the odds of us getting an injunction that'll keep her 'family' the Hell away form her until it's settled? If they get their mits on her, we'll never find her again."

"Already done, as much as possible. The kittens will be in protective state custody until it's settled, so no one, us or them, will see the girl without supervision. It's as good as we can do without proof."

"It's something. Just hope it's cleared up soon enough. They're sure there's a boy going to be born?" Chance asked him. "He must not have made it in the future we had... that or things changed."

"Things have already changed," Jake pointed out around artfully removing the meat from a wing after dunking it in the dragon's breath sauce. "Pretty significantly, for us and for the timeline."

"Yeah, but this is something that I can't think we changed at all," Chance pointed out.

"Remember how different timelines happen?" Jake asked, earning a groan. "Every possible outcome does happen. So there are worlds where she didn't get pregnant at all, ones where she had a miscarriage or abortion, the one we visited she had a girl, this one she's having a girl and boy, in others they might be all girls or all boys, and there might be more of them."

"Remind me to kick you if we ever end up in a timeline where she had a full litter of girls to grow up into deadly assassins," Chance said dryly, working on a wing of his own a little less artfully than Jake did, his rough tongue scraping the last of the meat off the bone. "Hard."

"If we ever do, you are _so_ not getting out of my sight," Jake snorted. "Especially not with any girls around."

"Mmm ... you want to know what's _really_ warped though?" Chance chuckled, finishing off his drink. "I can kinda picture it, and the idea of... I dunno, let's say quadruplets, each wearing their own slightly different version of Turmoil's uniform could actually work pretty well in a flick."

Jake couldn't help but laugh. "You've been hitting the anime too much lately, buddy. They'd take over the world though, and not in a good way."

"Please, like they haven't done that in _our_ movies," Chance snorted. "But you're right about the end result. At any rate, I think it's time I start hitting the ginger ale. How're you holding up?"

"Fairly drunk," he conceded. "No more than one more for me, probably stop at this."

"No problem," Chance nodded. "After we finish up, want to settle up and go for a bit of a walk before we head home?"

"If you want," Jake agreed easily. "I'm sure you need to work off a bit before you drive."

"Yeah, probably a good idea," Chance chuckled slightly. "Jake? What do you think our odds are when the fight actually happens?"

"It depends on what they can bring in," he admitted. "If it's the same force as the one we know, better than they had, but still not good. I'd still expect to lose at least two-thirds of the fighters. The difference is that we have more of them, and half a wing has a little combat experience with them. If they do what any sane commander would and bring in three times the forces, we're screwed in a big way."

"I really hope this doesn't go pear shaped on us," Chance murmured. "Just don't let me put a final date on when I retire from combat duty until it's over, okay?" He chuckled weakly.

"I won't," Jake promised, a little more seriously than it just being a film cliché warranted. "I'm not keen on getting killed young either."

"What's this about you guys retiring?" A young Calico shekat asked from a bit further down the bar. "You're still on the top of your game."

They both looked over, neither recognizing her.

"Family," Chance told her. "My girlfriend has three kits, I'm about to get custody of two newborns and another's on the way. I want to see them grown."

"Mrf... can't really blame you then. Sorry, I'm Rachael Summers," she said, offering her hands to the two toms. "My girlfriend's Jenny Reed, she's on the beat. She talks about you guys fairly often," she smiled. "Uhm... at the risk of hitting a button, I thought you two were a couple seeing you here."

"We are," Jake said with a smile and shook her hand. "I kinda asked him to look for a girlfriend. He's too much for me to handle by myself."

"Thus explaining how Chance Furlong could ever settle down," Chance chuckled, shaking her hand as well. "Which is the question everybody who knows about Mayrie is asking me, given my rep."

"Fair enough," Rachael giggled. "What's coming up though? I understand if it's something classified, but I'd like to know if I should be more worried for Jenny than usual."

"No, she's not in any extra danger," Jake shook his head. "It's classified, yes, but I can tell you it's pretty much all on us flyboys."

"That's good," she smiled. "Not for you guys, I know, but it's tense enough out there for the others." She looked up, grinning as she spotted a tall, well-muscled black shekat coming in through the door. "Good luck to both of you!" She said cheerfully as she went off to greet her girlfriend.

"Cute couple," Chance smiled. "You just about ready to head out for that walk?" He asked Jake.

"Sure," he nodded and slipped off the bench while Chance settled their tab with a quick swipe of his debit card. He happily slid in next to the big tabby and walked snuggled up against him more easily than most couples of only a year could.

"Mmm... hope you don't mind us not doing anything _that_ big for our anniversary," Chance purred as they left, enjoying the chance to at least be slightly open. In the decades since the riot, the neighborhood had practically become MegaKat City's gay district, albeit informally. "I didn't really think you would."

"I don't mind," Jake assured him. "They were never thought of when I was growing up."

"I remember the few times Mom and Dad really had a blowup that wasn't for an obvious reason were always when Dad forgot some event like it," Chance chuckled. "I don't know that it's necessarily such a big thing to me either, but I do like to recognize it."

"We're sticking to the dates according to this calendar, then?" Jake asked.

"I think it's the only reasonable way," Chance chuckled. "Besides, if I have to start tracking them with Mayrie, I'll _have_ to use the calendar."

"Works for me," he agreed easily, smiling at the bright moon that shone even with so many city lights. "Are there any that are important to you?"

"Mmm ... well, when we get out to the fifth and tenth and the other big ones, I think it's worth mentioning," Chance smiled. "Especially given how few guys make that long together, when you look at it."

"Any given pattern?" Jake asked seriously. "I know there are ones that have standard gifts, or every five years, or something else?"

"I can't remember it right now, but we can look it up later," Chance promised, kissing his cheek lightly. "Work for you?"

"Yes," he leaned against him, enjoying the warm breezes. "Maybe when we get home ... I'd like to be on the same page, whatever it is."

"I'm with you there," Chance purred, finding a bench and sitting down. "So, what's this about you giving May porn?" He asked him, keeping his tone light.

"After she found mine ... I guess I'd rather she got it from me, than looking for herself. She's bright and technically literate enough to get in a lot of trouble out there, and her tastes are not soft-core in the least."

"Okay... just _how_ 'not soft core' are we talking?" Chance asked him, raising an eyebrow. "Do we need to put some sort of alert on her net accounts?"

"Sara's already watching, though I _will_ hurt you if you tell her," Jake promised. "Bondage, gang-bang, submission, and as into guy-guy as het."

"I'm just worried she might get into it in real life," Chance explained. "And not safely, either. Lotta guys online who'd be happy to take advantage of a smart, pretty girl who's a little naive."

"Sara will give an alert if she agrees to a meeting, but it's going to be safer if she's getting into things under supervision because she knows I won't freak on her than if she's she has to work it out on her own," Jake insisted. "She already knows all this exists and it turns her on. That one she found taught her that. If someone doesn't provide her a place to learn safely, she'll do it on her own. I don't want her to learn some things the hard way."

"All right," Chance sighed, shaking his head. "As long as she doesn't end up in over her head in real life, that's what I'm worried about. It's one thing if she starts dating or sleeping around, but it's another one if she ends up meeting somebody online and agreeing to meet a friend only to find out her 'friend' is the Triple Sig setting up a nice little initiation party. You get what I mean?"

"I know," Jake nodded seriously. "I'm doing my best to educate her on being careful with people she hasn't met before, on the hazards of the kind of things that interest her. I'm not exactly ignorant of it, you know? Those kinks are part of my world."

"And they're not part of mine, and _definitely_ not Mayrie's," Chance agreed. "I understand. I'll back off then," he smiled. "But if Mayrie comes after you about it, it was _not_ my idea," he smirked.

"If she comes after me, it wasn't your idea," Jake promised. "May is my protégée, my responsibility."

"Understood," Chance nodded, looking up as he saw a group walking down the street towards them. "Might want to head back to the pub," he murmured, recognizing a few of them from the last time he'd had a fight around here.

"Okay," Jake nodded and they stood. "I don't think those are friendlies."

"I know at least two of them aren't - I kicked their asses for beating up a Fox a few blocks from here last year," Chance informed him briefly, not glancing back, but his senses on full alert for any signs of the attack he was sure would be coming.

"Sara, get ready to bust up trouble," Jake whispered. "Fight or run?" he asked Chance just as quietly.

"Fight," Chance said firmly. "Running, they'll just follow us. But let _them_ start it. And no blasters."

"Right," he nodded, even though he gave his partner a questioning, and slightly dirty look for it.

Their pursuers speeding up a bit while Jake calculated the odds in his head. Despite being fairly sure none of them had combat training to speak of and their weapons being mostly makeshift, he didn't like the odds.

"Hey, faggots," one of them called out. "What's the matter? Don't you feel safe in your shithole part of town?"

"Ignore him," Chance whispered as they kept moving, knowing it was likely to get under Jake's skin in a big way and the tom didn't have that much of a fuse when it came to being taunted like this.

"Hey," one of them, a tall, well-muscled tom who looked like he at least worked out regularly, said as he clamped a hand down on Jake's shoulder. "He's talkin' to you," he growled even as Jake dropped his shoulder and rotated to break the grip.

Everybody was surprised on some level when Jake didn't retaliate beyond that, but just kept walking, his posture showing no hint of the concern he had for the coming fight.

"Hey!" Two of them circled around front, blocking Chance and Jake from going on. "What's the matter? The badges make you too good to talk to us?"

"No," Chance said icily. "Not being assholes does that. The badge doesn't have a thing to do with -"

He was cut off as he spun around, reaching up to take a baseball bat across the forearm, snarling as he felt the muscle bruise and bone fracture from the blow. With that, the fight was on. He reached up with his better hand, drawing the combat knife he wore and flipping it under his wrist to take whatever else came his way, the other tom behind them slipping his fingers into a set of brass knuckles.

He heard Jake shift to guard his back, and the two that had been in front of him screamed in agony and collapsed hard from the electric bolts.

"Fuck!" The one with the bat gasped, giving Chance the opportunity to try moving in to take the bat away from him. His knife slid across the back of his hand, and he released the bat on reflex as Chance continued his lunge to knock into him and send him staggering back, even as the kat with the brass knuckles tried to slip in to hit Jake from behind only to have his elbow broken cleanly as the lean tom spun around on him.

Another group of toughs came running across the street, armed with knives, chains, and other makeshift weapons now that it was clear this wasn't going to just be a case of two-against-four in a fistfight and their friends were definitely losing.

"Armored?" Jake hissed at his partner as they took a half second to regroup and ready to face the new force.

"Against knives," Chance agreed, ducking as one of them swung a broken piece of board at his head. He swung his fist up, putting the full power of his body behind the blow that landed squarely under his opponent's jaw and sent him flying into an unconscious heap even as he was slammed by a pipe on one side of his ribs and a baseball bat on the other.

He didn't consciously look for Jake as he felt his ribs crack, but he was suddenly aware that his partner had two thugs in various states of helplessness at his feet and was trying to pull a large blade out of his side.

The pain, even slightly dulled by the liquor, combined with seeing his mate injured badly, pushed Chance out of self-defense mode and into the reflexes he'd kept subdued for year. He flipped the knife in his hand, slashing back with it, biting deep into the shoulder of one of them and stabbing a second. With a twist of the wrist, he ripped the knife out of his arm, opening up a major vein as he let out a roar, the growing noise of the fight drawing people out of the bar who quickly joined in with whatever weapons they had available.

"Chance!" Jake's voice demanded his attention over the din of the free for all, sirens coming closer and the powerful engine very close. "Get in!"

He gave a punch to the face of one of their attackers that smashed cartilage and his knuckles both, the weight of his knife's hilt behind it, and jumped in the passenger side.

"Jake, how bad?" He asked, already assessing the worst beating he'd gotten in years. He could smell the blood, knew both of them were bleeding seriously, but it wasn't until they were speeding through the streets that he realized that Jake wasn't the one driving.

"I'll live," he said through clenched teeth. His hand was tight against his side, where the knife had been.

It was all enough to snap Chance's focus into place. He knew what it took to make Jake look this bad, and living was anything but certain.

"Lady of the Hearth Hospital is the nearest, and they have been alerted to what to expect," Sara's voice came from his radio. "I am sorry it took me so long. This vehicle was not designed for my remote control."

"Neither was mine," Jake told her, his eyes fluttering closed briefly.

"It was designed with me in mind, however," she reminded him. "Focus, Jake. Do not drift off. You are going into shock."

"Awake, right," he mumbled and forced his eyes open. "Hurt worse than I think, aren't I?"

"Much," she confirmed.

"Chance?" He asked.

"Not as badly as you," she told him. "But badly."

"Do you need me to handle the driving? I can still do that," Chance offered. "The wheel at least," he winced, drawing himself up to sit properly.

"We are almost there," Sara assured him. "Keep Jake awake. He's lost more blood than he thinks."

"All right," Chance nodded. "Jake, how many of them came after us," he asked, hoping to keep his mind working.

"Twenty ... Twenty-three that I can ID," he mumbled, the lights of the hospital coming into view. "Probably a dozen I couldn't."

"Descriptions," Chance ordered him, a military edge to his voice. "Start running through them, start with the one who stuck that knife in you."

"Male. My size, shorter by a bit, less muscle. Broad-stripe tabby. Charcoal on black. Long fur on tail. Knows how to fight, not military. Young adult, twenty-something, maybe early thirties," Jake rattled off, his mind on a freeze-frame of the fight. "Scar on right cheek, something off with left arm."

"Keep talking, Sara, record it all," Chance ordered when Jake paused to move on to the next one and they came to a stop in the entrance way for the ambulances and EMTs ran up to them.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Chance said, "I've just got bad ribs, take him first," he said, opening the door for them.

"We know," a paramedic told him as he pointed across to another team that was getting Jake out and on a gurney. "See, they are helping him. We're here to put you together. Let them do their job and us do ours," he tried to get Chance out and onto another gurney.

"Right," Chance nodded, climbing out and up onto the gurney. "And don't tell me I shouldn't have done that," he winced, "I know that already."

"Good, now stay still," the paramedic told him with an understanding smile as they got into motion. "He's your partner, right? Your gunner, in the Enforcers?"

"He is," Chance nodded slightly. "Bunch of assholes thought we were a couple," he winced. "Heh - you should see the other guys though."

"I expect we will," the paramedic said grimly. "At least those that don't go to the morgue," he paused as they entered the orchestrated chaos of the ER, where doctors and nurses were already swarming around Jake, hooking up IVs and taking his vitals. "I expect you'll both be transferred to Serenity Thorn when he's stable enough to travel," he said as Chance's gurney was rolled to a stop next to Jake's and a group descended on him.

"While we're getting your records, can you tell us if either of you have any allergies, conditions or unusual reactions?" A doctor asked even as he stepped up and began an ears to toes examination of Chance while nurses hooked up two IVs.

"None," Chance said, shaking his head slightly. "Jake'll be more comfortable when he comes to if you let him keep at least some sort of weapon, he's a little paranoid that way. Nothing physical though."

The doctor nodded, though he looked less than thrilled. "It is against the rules here, though Serenity is more accustomed to such requests. Are you going to object to sedative painkillers until he is out of surgery?"

"Not at all," Chance said, shaking his head slightly again. "He'd cream me if I did," he said with a weak grin, closing his eyes and trying to drift off to avoid as much of the pain as he could.


	51. Recovery Pain

"Major Furlong is awake, but Major Clawson is sedated, so please keep your voice down," the nurse at Serenity Thorn, the primary Enforcer hospital, told Mayrie as she was led to their room.

"Yes, ma'am," she nodded without question. She was too grateful to be given permission to see them. She hadn't been entirely sure what she was to either of them to the Enforcers before she had walked up.

She walked threw the door the nurse opened for her and saw Jake first. One look told her why he was still asleep. He looked pale under his fur, and the IVs dripping medication, blood and nutrients into his veins were even less assuring, other than it showed he was getting good care.

With a smile she walked up to Chance's bed. "Hey love."

"Hey," Chance murmured, looking over at her from Jake. "It's not as bad as it looks, they keep telling me. He survived the emergency surgery at least. How's everybody holding up?"

"May is doing her best not to go katatonic, and right now I'm glad I didn't bring her. Carrie and Mitch are worried but doing okay. Whatever happened, it's turning into something much bigger. There are small riots in several parts of the city, and much bigger demonstrations. It's scary driving some places."

"Damn it," Chance sighed, closing his eyes for a minute. "No wonder they didn't let me turn on the news. Any idea what the tone of it is, at the moment?"

"Beyond scary as hell?" she shivered. "The news says that most are peaceful, but in the gay areas it's a lot more violent. The fight you were in last night hasn't stopped, just moved around."

"Shit," Chance whispered. "Stonewall all over again. Keep the kits home as much as you can; the good news is that it's not about us anymore, but the bad news is that it means it's not about _anybody_. Nobody's likely to come after you at your place, but there's no telling where it might spread. Wish I was in a shape to fly right now."

"I think everybody does," she nodded, even more frightened than she was before, but still paused on reflex and turned to look when the door opened. It admitted a nurse with three IV bags. Two with clear liquid and one that looked like a bag of liquid mercury.

"What's that?" Chance asked, taking Mayrie's question as the nurse moved to the IV's at Jake's bed. "Isn't there enough crud getting pumped into him already?"

"It's his critically injured instructions," she tried to reassure him as she hung up the liquid silver one. "A medical nano treatment."

"One of his toys then," Chance nodded. He wondered if they'd ever tested it, but didn't want to make Mayrie more nervous by a possible 'no' answer. "Would it be acceptable for my girlfriend to bring her kits here later, if we wanted to see them?"

Serenity Thorne, he knew, would be about as far from the rioting as you could get, if it did end up spreading.

"Of course," she said as she replaced one of the clear liquid bags on Jake's rack. "They are restricted to the same visitor hours as most."

"Understood," Chance nodded. "How close are we to where things are getting interesting?" He asked her. "I've already heard about the bad news," he pointed out, "so you don't have to worry about protecting me from it."

"Fortunately the riots are not anti-Enforcer or anti-government this time, so they are centered fairly well away and we're unlikely to be a target," the nurse said as she walked over to change Chance's IV bag. "The only deaths so far were in the original confrontation outside the Stonewall bar."

"Mine and Jake's, I'm guessing," Chance offered. "Guy who bled out from losing the carotid one of them?"

"I'm not sure of the details," she admitted, "but I would not be surprised. It was the better part of two hours before the next injuries arrived at a hospital. An injury like that would have been fatal much faster."

Mayrie tried hard not to look as sick as she felt hearing Chance discuss people he'd killed so blandly, and had mostly recovered when the nurse had left.

"How much trouble will you be in?" she asked quietly.

"None officially," Chance said, shaking his head. "Mayrie, they were trying to kill us. That I only killed one or two of them is a sign of _restraint_ with my record. Just... if things don't work out with Jake, don't call me for a few weeks after I get out."

"Don't think that way," she insisted, openly scared, though he was sure it wasn't for what he was really planning to do. "He'll be fine. Remember your trip to the future? The invasion hasn't even happened yet."

"It's supposed to have," he admitted quietly. "It was supposed to happen weeks ago. I should only have one kit with Turmoil. Things are up in the air again."

"Still, don't think that way," she insisted. "He'll be okay. After all he's been through, this can't be what kills him."

"I hope to Hell you're right," he murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. He didn't _want_ things to go that way. But a part of him was asking why the Hell he had to wait for Jake to be permanently hurt or killed before he made sure he punished the people who'd done it.

"Will you tell me what happened, why you were there?" she asked gently as she brought a plastic chair over to sit at his bedside.

"Would you believe we were celebrating our anniversary?" Chance laughed weakly. "By the calendar, it was the right time... good night too, until we decided to take a walk to work off the buzz a bit before we went home."

"What an anniversary marker," she sighed, shaking her head. "That's when that gang came after you?"

"Yep. About four of them at first, then more came out when they saw that Jake was packing some of his gadgets and I was fighting back... maybe if I hadn't told Jake to hold his fire it would've turned out different. But I was hoping to _avoid_ a bloodbath that turned into riots later on. The second damn time I've managed to fuck _that_ up," he said bitterly.

"Hu?" she looked at him quizzically. "When was the first time? I thought you were in the war."

"I was. But there was a stretch after it, the last time we went back to Megawar II. I managed to be at ground zero when the _first_ Stonewall Riots started - I didn't even know I was there on the right day, when it happened."

"And now you were in the middle of the second," she shook his head. "You really do have some of the most atrocious luck at times. Maybe it won't turn into the huge event of the first one. It's still possible it'll be a minor footnote in the year in review."

"Yeah... just have to ask if it'll be better to keep my mouth shut or try and help stop things," he murmured.

"Who would you ask?" she cocked her head, only to freeze when Jake shifted slightly and whimpered faintly. She reacted with a mother's speed when Chance started to move to force him to lay back down. "Let the nurse check on him." She said firmly. "You have no business moving."

"All right," he muttered and buzzed the nurse. "Clawson is moving, I think he's conscious," he explained and released the button. "And mostly asking myself."

"I'll be right in," she responded without question, and opened the door a moment later to check on Jake, palmpad in hand. "He doesn't seem to be conscious, but his vitals have improved," she told them with a smile. "I guess this stuff works for him," she tapped the silvery IV bag. "We were told that he should be ready for discharge within forty-eight hours, but I never thought it would work that well."

"Never underestimate Jake's toys," Chance smiled. "Besides the blood loss, how is he?"

"The greatest danger is from the puncture wound to his bowels," she told him. "Surgery repaired that as well as stopped his internal bleeding. The longer-term effects of bruising, shock and infection are what we are still concerned about. You both took predominantly impact injuries, and those can take a while to make their full affects known."

"I know that already," Chance nodded. "Any idea how long until my ribs will be in a shape to let me get up and about again?"

"That is up to the doctors," she said as she walked over to look at his chart. "It looks like they are predominantly waiting to see how bad the bruising gets before fitting you for bindings. Your arm and ribs are both cracked, some ribs are broken, but you came out of this in much better shape than your partner."

"Not surprised," Chance sighed. "I grew up with this sort of shit, and then there was Lothos. Jake's got training, but never been through a brawl at that scale. Not that I _have_ , but I've been a lot closer."

"You also have the build to take more damage," she said. "Try to relax, rest and focus on the positive," she suggested as she turned to leave. "You'll be fine, and it looks like your partner will be too."

"I'll do my best," he nodded, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. "Want me to give you a call when Jake's up and feeling better?" He asked Mayrie.

"Yes," she smiled and kissed his forehead. "May will want to see with her own eyes that he's alive."

"I should probably let you get going then," Chance smiled, tipping his head up to kiss her lightly. "Let me know when you get home."

"I will," she promised. "You behave for the nurses," she teased him with a smile. "Or I might have to get you released into my care."

"Don't tempt me," he winked playfully, watching her as she headed out before he settled in for a brief nap.

* * *

Chance woke up far too early the next morning to the distressing sound of Jake whimpering and whining quietly, trying to hold back the pain, but just not able to do it. He had seen Jake through enough to have a fair idea what those sounds meant, and it tore at his heart.

"Jake?" He murmured, sitting up slightly, reaching to try and find the call button with a half awake brain and not awake body.

"Yeah?" he answered even as Chance felt the button and pressed it.

"Was I given a silver bag?" Jake managed to ask.

"Yeah, you were," Chance nodded, forcing his mind on-line. "Some time yesterday. Malfunctioning?"

"Nanite treatment," Jake whimpered, glancing over on reflex when the door opened to admit the nurse, and relaxed again as much as he could. "You can't dull the pain," he told her.

"Why not?" she blinked in real surprise.

"It's direct stimulation," Jake managed to put together. "Shouldn't last much longer."

"How much longer?" she asked pointedly.

"Few hours," he whimpered.

"Would putting you to _sleep_ help?" Chance offered.

"If it works," Jake nodded.

The nurse checked his chart, then tapped something in on her handheld. "The doctor will have to approve that," she told him sympathetically. "You are already above the normal level the pharmacist will let us give."

"I'm sure," Jake closed his eyes against the scream trying to rip out of his chest as his body quivered. Slowly his body unlocked as he gasped for breath now that the pain subsided for a moment. "I can deal with this if not," he assured her before clenching his teeth against the pain again. "It's expected."

"The doctor will be here in a few minutes," she repeated. "Let me get you something to bite down on," she offered, going out to get something.

"Shame I didn't bring one of the gags along," Chance tried to joke. "Why would they be working on your nerves? I thought they'd just be doing what got damaged."

"My entire life," Jake gasped. "Scars, nerves, blood loss, brain damage, everything's getting torn apart and rebuilt," he tried to explain as he focused on breathing. "Not just the new stuff. They aren't that ... refined yet."

"Shit," Chance winced, glad when the nurse was back with a hard silicone strap for him to bite down on, the doctor arriving shortly to review his charts. He was just as glad when Jake didn't object in the least to having something to bite down on.

"Why are you sure being unconscious is the answer?" the doctor asked politely.

Jake removed the strap briefly. "I'm high's hell painkillers'n barely dulling it. It'll help."

"And how long do you think you should be under?" The doctor asked, reading something on his handheld.

"Twelve hours," Jake struggled to tell him. "Designed to finish in a day."

The doctor nodded, continuing to read. "All right, Major," he agreed. "Twelve hours forced unconsciousness."

"Is there anything I should keep an eye out for, during that time?" Chance asked the doctor, grateful he wouldn't have to listen and watch his partner for the next twelve hours, but more than a little scared about what was going on that was causing it.

"The sensors should pick up anything abnormal," the doctor assured him. "The primary danger is if he stops breathing, or his heart stops. This short a time should not be very dangerous for him. We have too much experience with enforcing a coma and bringing people out of it."

"Yeah, but how much of it with people who've got little robots inside them trying to 'fix' them in a way that's excruciatingly painful?" Chance shuddered, wincing as it moved his ribs. "He must fix it in the future."

"This is listed as extremely experimental," the doctor acknowledged. "But unless the nanites stop the drugs from working, it should be fine. Try to get some rest, Major. We should be able to find out if we can bind your ribs and arm and send you home by morning, or if you'll be a guest for a while."

"Understood," he nodded. "Has the excitement started to die down at all?"

"It's under control, but I wouldn't say it's settled at all," he admitted. "It's not for you to be worried about though," he said rather pointedly. "You are not authorized to check yourself out."

"I know, I know," he grumbled. "You guys just don't like me watching the news right now."

"That's because your blood pressure goes up every time it turns on," the doctor pointed out. "We can tell exactly when the commercials come on just by watching your vitals. Besides, it's not just you - the news isn't exactly healthy for most of our patients."

"At least the fighting's over this time," Chance sighed. "Protests and counter-protests aren't so bad. Thanks for letting me know."

"Just try to stick to the comedy and cartoon networks," the doctor suggested. "You'll be out of here faster."

"Yes, sir," Chance consented, watching as they left, and trying not to react too much to the agony he saw on every line of his partner's body. He wasn't entirely sure whether he or Jake was more relieved when the nurse came back in and added the knockout drug cocktail to Jake's IV drip and he slipped unconscious a few minutes later.

* * *

"Litterbin's on," Jake's voice startled Chance nearly out of his skin that evening.

"Gods, Jake," Chance gasped, tossing the remote over to his partner's bed. "Figures _that_ would be what wakes you up - what, did you time the twelve hours for when his show started, instead of when they'd be done?"

"If I'd timed it, I would have woken up soon enough for the beginning," he teased, his grin very real, if a bit weak, as he changed the channel. "How are you doing?"

"Better than you were," Chance pointed out. "But uhm - do _not_ sign me up for that stuff, okay? I've got a _lot_ more it would be fixing, probably. Unless.... okay, Jake, stupid, extremely personal question, but what about...?"

Jake stared at him blankly for a lingering moment, then blushed. "I don't know. In theory, it would," he considered it, then winced. "It's easy enough to check."

"Not right now," Chance said, shaking his head. "Not if it hurts, at any rate."

"Buddy, I am _not_ jacking off in a hospital room," Jake leveled a droll gaze at him. "Never mind the lack of a microscope to check the count."

"Gee, _I_ was thinking more of a physical check," Chance replied dryly. "Not _that_ type of physical check, either. Since things should be a little crowded down there if they did that, by my understanding?"

"If it worked, they would have used the implants as raw material," Jake chuckled. "It might have seen the implants as what's supposed to be there now. I had less to do with the programming than I would have liked."

"Ah, didn't know," Chance nodded. "We'll see what happens then. They could really do that with silicone though?"

"In theory," Jake nodded. "Take it apart the atomic level, put it back together the way it's needed. All I'm sure of right now is that I don't have two in each sack."

"Well, that's something... May's worried sick about you," Chance offered. "She hasn't been in to see you yet, but she's figured out that's because you were in bad shape."

"We kinda threw them in the deep end, didn't we?" Jake managed a weak smile. "Less than two months and May's been shot at, we've nearly gotten killed and Mayrie is looking at raising two newborns she's not related to," he relaxed back with a sigh. "It's good she didn't come when I was trying not to scream."

"I almost told the nurse not to let _Mayrie_ in if she came," Chance agreed. "It was pretty bad, even while you were asleep. Should we ask the nurse to call them when she gets around here next?"

"I think so. I'll probably flinch at random moments for a few days yet, but the worst is over," Jake agreed. "I think I heard the riots were under control?"

"They are, to an extent," Commander Feral's deep voice answered, startling both toms. "It is good to see you have recovered this much," he inclined his head to Jake. "Even if I do not normally approve of you using yourself as a test subject."

"I'm not fond of it either, Commander," Jake answered. "I don't think this is just seeing how we're doing though, is it sir?"

"No," he said grimly. "Normally I would wait to do this in my office, but conditions warrant a quicker response."

"If it's about the bodies I left behind, I don't think even IA will blame me once everything's been looked into," Chance offered. "Even with my record."

"I'm quite sure of it," the big tom nodded grimly. "It's not even in real question. There have been less than subtle accusations about why you were in that area. I want the truth you plan to stick to," he looked at Chance levelly. "I already know the real truth."

"...What's going to come out of it," Chance asked him levelly. "If you're right."

"If you are willing to play ball with me, a change in the law," he said simply. "I take my vows to Halikar a bit more seriously than most would like."

"With all due respect, Commander, it's more than just the three of us involved with the decision. I've got twins on the way, and a girlfriend with three kits. If it doesn't work out the way you're hoping it will, I'll also have a dishonorable discharge."

"I may be forced to discharge you," Feral granted. "I can promise it will be an honorable one, however. The Commander does have a great deal of latitude, even if this was a criminal offence, and it no longer is. You know how much latitude I have when it comes to my officers," he pointed out in a subtle reminder of when the tabby had become a pilot. "This is minor compared to what I have already arranged for you."

"True," Chance nodded. "And you know I'm grateful for that. Some days, I'm still not entirely sure why you did, all things considered. Do you really think I'm still worth the potential trouble? If you do... then the truth is probably exactly what you think. Though the reason we were at the club had nothing to do with being _out_ clubbing, and yes, I _do_ actually have a girlfriend as well. An extra possible complication for things."

"You weren't actually who I was planning to feature," Feral gave him a slight smile. "But without your agreement, he never will," he looked meaningfully at Jake.

"He has you there," Jake admitted.

"I make a point of knowing my top officers," Feral almost smirked at Chance. "Your service record, in the war and in the air, will deflect a great deal of trouble that might be brought up about you. You are not my only examples," he added. "Simply my latest. Try not to make a point of this until I make it time," he added as he brought a chair between their beds and sat down. "Now, tell me what happened."


	52. Future Plans

Mayrie was glad to be on the outer edges of the gathered parents watching the game when her cell phone rang. She flipped it open, giving a cheer as Mitch tackled the runner, practically tossing him out of bounds before she answered the phone.

"Mayrie? It's Chance," the voice on the other side said. "You up for dinner out tonight?"

"With the kits?" she asked, doing a quick mental check that she'd actually _have_ all the kits at dinner time.

"If you want, but Jake and I'd been hoping to talk to you about something privately. We could do it after, if we have to; it shouldn't take too long, mostly giving you a heads up and invitation to an event."

"I can't get a kittensitter on this short a notice," she said. "So they're with us, or you'd have to come up with someone to watch them."

"If you want to bring them along, it'll be okay - otherwise, we've given Ryan a call, and she's already taken," Chance explained. "Which do you prefer?"

"If you want to talk to me, let's see if she can take them for the evening," Mayrie decided. "Otherwise, I know we can distracted them in your place for a while."

"She is," Chance smiled. "Where are you? Sounds like there's something going on in the background."

"Mitch has a rugby match," Mayrie chuckled. "I know I gave you the schedule of their activities," she teased him.

"Sorry," Chance said sheepishly. "I just haven't memorized it yet, and it's not exactly in front of me at the moment," he teased back. "By the way - look up and give me a wave," he told her.

"Hu?" he heard her gasp as she looked up to see his triple wing worth of super-advanced fighters fly overhead. "You're flying?" she all but squeaked, but she waved all the same, her eyes wide.

"Don't worry, my hands aren't on the phone," Chance chuckled. "Jake set something up that lets me piggy-back the radio through the phone system, I don't get how. Actually, safer than driving while I'm doing this. Not _nearly_ as much traffic in the way." The lead jet tipped its wings as it flew over the field. "See you at about eight?" He asked her. "Our place?"

"Eight, sure," she sounded a bit in shock even as she answered questions from around her. "I'll see you then, sweetheart."

Chance hung up, leaving her to finish watching the game as the wings flew on by.

* * *

"Shoo," Jake swatted Chance's hand away from the seafood Paella. "There's plenty, but wait for Mayrie to get here."

"Sorry, sorry," Chance sighed. "I'm a little nervous, and that smells delicious. Think we should think about giving her access to the door some time soon?"

"When your kits come home," he said, less than easy about giving another person free access. "There's a little work left to do."

"Okay," Chance nodded. "If you want to put it off for a while yet, we can do that too, I was just thinking it'd be easier. She _is_ over here fairly often... 'course, these days, you're not, so it probably doesn't feel like that," he conceded, kissing Jake's cheek lightly.

"It doesn't," he admitted, turning for a real kiss while he stirred the Paella. "It only feels like she's been over a couple times."

"Mmm... well, tonight's one more," Chance purred into the kiss. "After things are a bit more sane, you'll get used to the idea."

"I'm sure," he smiled. "Have you two talked about when she'd like to move in?"

"Not much, beyond 'not yet,'" Chance said, shaking his head before he heard a knock at the door. "I'll be back, that should be her. Oh, and be ready to explain that I _can_ make phone calls from the jet without risking my tail now," he smirked, heading out to let Mayrie in.

"You buzzed her," Jake laughed hard, shaking his head.

"You said something good," Mayrie grinned at Chance when the door opened.

"Please, it's only buzzing her when she can feel the shockwave," Chance laughed back, stepping aside to let her in. "I told him about when I called you. You sounded a little stunned."

"You had better never buzz me," she told Chance firmly. "I was watching one of Mitch's games. I got to spend the rest of the game explaining that was my boyfriend and why he was flying those jets, and what the jets were. Not that I knew."

"A new line of jets the Enforcers are testing - easiest answer, and the most accurate one," Chance chuckled. "And no, I don't plan on doing that. How'd the game go?"

"Very well, once everyone stopped ooing and awing over the planes," she giggled and sat down with Chance at the table while Jake brought their meal out. "I think Mitch is excited about being able to point to them now as his uncle's jets, and he still hasn't stopped bragging about the flight you gave him."

"Great," Chance grinned, grabbing the wine and bringing it out. "Sounds like he's adjusting pretty well, so far. His team win?"

"Yes," she smiled and held the glasses for him to pour. "Is this your cooking?" she asked Jake.

"Yes, I know you do a lot of cooking, but I do enjoy it," he chuckled softly. "And I think I'm fairly good. There's champagne berry jello with blackcurrant leaf sorbet for dessert."

"He likes to show off, too," Chance said dryly, pouring some white wine for the three of them. "Not that I'm complaining, it's delicious when he does. How are May and Carrie doing?"

"May is still vibrating every time the FEW meet comes up," her eyes sparkled as she looked at Jake. "She tried to explain, but it didn't make much sense."

"Something along the lines of adopting her?" Jake guessed.

"Yes," Mayrie nodded, curious that they both used the same language.

"It's not far off. By formally introducing her at the meet, I'm staking my reputation on her, that she'll do well," he explained simply.

"Which May is totally jazzed about, and I can't blame her," Chance smiled. "At least she's not terrified about it."

"I keep expecting that to set in any day now," Mayrie chuckled. "And Jake, thank you for helping her keep her head after that lunatic took a shot at you. I haven't had the chance to say it yet."

"You're welcome, though Sara did a lot of it," he said. "My assistant, helper and general katsitter. She was on the comm system. I'm sure that it didn't get through the windshield helped."

"Yes, the fact that she didn't have a _corpse_ leaning on her probably did a lot to calm her nerves," Chance muttered. "Asshole's lucky _I_ wasn't there when that happened, I'd have taught him a lesson about shooting straight."

"Chance!" Mayrie frowned.

"Mayrie, he was shooting at random cars that _looked_ expensive because he figured that anybody who owned one didn't deserve to live," Chance pointed out. "Without any concern for the consequences. Without any concern for who might _actually_ be driving the vehicle. He was trying to murder random people because he thought it was his job. Taking a kneecap out would've kept him from running into somebody wearing a suit on the next block and deciding _he_ was the next target."

"Just don't talk like that around Mitch," she told him.

"I won't," Chance promised. "I wouldn't have brought it up if _any_ of the kits had been here," he offered.

"He was lucky May was there, or I'd have done it," Jake added more quietly. "I was afraid he'd target her if I stopped him before I was on top of him."

"It all worked out for the best in the end," Chance pointed out. "He made the worst possible choice he could have, and we haven't had anybody else doing the same, so his ranting seems to just be that. So, on a different topic, how's Tom taking the news about us?"

"Better than I expected, to be honest," Mayrie smiled slightly. "I think he's grateful for a little less pressure to get back together, and after I get re-married, he doesn't owe alimony anymore, and probably won't owe kitten support, given how well you two are doing."

"Yeah, that'd be a pretty good incentive not to complain," Chance chuckled lowly. "Maybe he'll start looking for a different girlfriend after all this. Just glad he's not holding it against you."

"Don't get me wrong, he's still not thrilled about you spending more time with the kits or anything," she pointed out. "But he's not about to start a fight over it anymore, I don't think. Or to try getting in the way."

"About the best we can ask for," Chance agreed. "Who knows, maybe we'll all come out of this better in the end."

"I plan to, at least," she said firmly. "For me and my kits. Carrie is doing well too. She keeps hoping one of you will have an interest in riding. She's feeling a little left out of the excitement her siblings have."

"Mmm ... eventually, maybe," Chance shrugged slightly. "You have any plans for her birthday yet? We might be able to come up with something to help make up for it."

"I was going to take her out to a horse ranch for a trail ride after the party. I'm sure she'd love it if you guys were along."

"That's kind of what I'd been thinking of," Chance smiled. "Depending on how things are going, I'd love to come along. Not sure if Jake'll be able to get away though," he offered, giving his mate a chance out of what could be a very irritating afternoon for him.

"I think I'll survive," he chuckled and smiled thanks to his mate. "Would she use a year's worth of weekly riding lessons?"

"I think she'd adore you 'forever' for it," Mayrie chuckled. "But you are setting yourself up for expensive gifts."

"I think my budget can handle it," Jake smiled. "What kind of things would Mitch like? Is he talking about becoming a pilot?"

"Not that I've heard, though he might think about it. If he does though, the lessons will be easy enough to provide," Chance grinned.

"I'm not sure if I should be grateful or terrified for the offer," Mayrie giggled. "Best teacher out there, but to have _you_ teaching him...."

"Hey, I'll wait for barrel rolls until at _least_ the second lesson," Chance teased back. "Seriously though, I understand what you mean. I'd be careful with him, obviously, and any decent trainer plane is set up so the trainer can override the controls in an emergency."

"That's good," Mayrie chuckled. "As for what he'd like, his usual wishlist is full of games, movies, and comics - the usual things boys his age like. I haven't checked it out lately though... given the age he's getting do, he might have started adding things on there he doesn't want me seeing too," she admitted. "Of course, a room of his own is always high on the list, but not exactly practical."

Jake glanced at Chance.

"I'll get you the titles when it's close," the tabby promised. "He was never a 'usual boy', or known one for that matter."

"Ah, sorry," Mayrie blushed. "May seems so normal, and you do so well with her."

"Because what we do together is anything but normal," Jake smiled in understanding and sipped his wine. "I fill a gap in her life, rather than taking over a part anyone else did."

"And thank you for it," Mayrie said sincerely.

"I can help fill in Jake's blanks on what the usual interests would be," Chance promised. "S'pose now is as good a time as any to bring up the question I had for you," he said, taking some of the crisp shrimp from the paella. "Have you ever heard of the International Mister Leather pageant?"

"No, but I can guess a lot from the title," she was suddenly very uneasy. "Why don't you give me the real overview, though?"

"Well, the real overview for _some_ people is probably exactly what you're thinking about," Chance admitted. "It's a pageant that's been going around Aristal for the last decade or so, basically along the lines of any other beauty pageant, just focused on guys in leather. It comes along with a very big gay-friendly convention, and it can be a bit of a meat market, but there's actually no nudity involved. It's not like some sort of big orgy or something, despite what some of the hardliners have tried saying," he chuckled slightly.

"What would you be going to it for?" she asked, mulling it over. "And with Jake?" she glanced at him.

"I'm planning on going at least one day," Jake nodded. "I'm not sure how much it'll take him to drag me to all the events."

"Well, for one thing, I'd like to see what they've got in the way of new stuff," Chance chuckled. "You'd be surprised what they have to sell there. For another, I was going to sign up for the pageant, see how I can do. There were also some unfinished plans to give Jake one Hell of a night, but that's entirely outside of what the pageant's about," he admitted sheepishly.

"Can I see your outfits for the pageant, before you sign up?" she asked, both curious and a little concerned.

"Sure," he smiled. "Actually, if you want to see a couple of them tonight, I think we could arrange it," he winked. "If I did go through with what I had in mind for Jake, I wouldn't be involved in it beyond watching the door."

"He's not telling _me_ any details either," Jake said drolly.

"After dinner then," Mayrie decided. "You're a very good cook, Jake," she smiled at him, earning a deeply grateful blush.

"Thank you," he purred and smiled back.

"I can give _her_ details while you're not around - you're going to have to wait though," Chance teased, kissing Jake's cheek before the phone rang. "Crap, who is it at this hour?" He sighed, getting up to go check.

"Sara?" Jake glanced up.

"It's Alkatraz Island Penitentiary," she responded promptly.

"Crap, that means it's probably Turmoil," Chance snarled, hurrying to grab his cell and pick up the call. "Hello? Damn, I didn't think it was for a few weeks yet, I'll be right the - NO, I don't want to be in the room with her! There are a lot faster ways to die, thanks, I just want to be sure the paperwork's done right and see the kits. Right... right, we'll be there as soon as we can," he promised, hanging up.

"Sorry, Mayrie, Turmoil's gone into labor," Chance explained. "I've gotta be there to make sure she doesn't try pulling a fast one with the kits."

"Do you mind if I join you?" she said and stood. "It can be a long wait if you aren't in there."

"I am going too," Jake told her even as he moved quickly to put together an overnight bag for the pair of them. "You don't have to."

"If I'm going to raise her, nurse her, I'll be there," Mayrie said firmly.

"I'll be glad to have you there," Chance agreed. "Just didn't want to keep you from _your_ kits if we didn't have to." He grabbed his wallet, keys, and ID, particularly his badge. "If they turn you back, don't take it the wrong way, it _is_ Alkatraz we're talking about."

"I understand," she nodded, grabbing her purse as the three of them walked out. "They know this is coming. Really, that they're with Grandma Ryan now is perfect. We've all talked about it, and she's willing to spend the night at my place and take them to school if I'm not back. I just need to make a few calls if they don't turn me back."

"Okay," Chance smiled, heading out to the truck. "Thanks - want to ride with us, or take your car?"

"Chance, taking the SUV would be better," Jake said. "Three adults, and one, if not two, kits."

"Right, right, sorry," Chance said, shaking his head. "Not thinking that clearly right now," he admitted.

"Then I think I should drive," Jake decided, pulling the keys out of his pocket. "The last thing we need is to get in a crash on the way there."

"If I could fly out there, I'd be fine," Chance chuckled weakly, climbing into the passenger's seat after opening the door for Mayrie. "Let's get going, if we can get there while she's still in labor it'll be best."

"Love, labor takes hours, sometimes a day or more," Mayrie tried to calm him down. "Even if it goes fast, it'll be three or four hours, especially with at least two kits coming."

"I'm just a little nervous about the fact that I've got a psychotic mother-to-be who probably already has three or four different plans on how to stop me from getting any of the kits she wants to keep," Chance explained. "I'm sure there are ways she could do it, and good as the lawyers are... well, sometimes it's damned hard to argue with crazy."

"The guards know," Jake assured him as he pulled into the light traffic. "They're ready for her to try something."

They made their way out to the docks, and from there the ferry took them out to the island. All in all, it took about an hour for them to reach the island, and the small post by the dock for the security check-in.

"Please remove all weapons and contraband," the guard told Jake and Chance both. Chance started disarming quickly, removing a sizeable knife, then reaching under his shirt to remove a blaster from the small of his back, and a smaller one from an ankle holster.

"How did I _not_ see these before now?" Mayrie asked him, looking at the amount of weaponry with a bit of surprise.

"I only have the ankle one on date nights," Chance told her. "I don't carry much else when I don't have a reason to think there might be some trouble."

"What trouble were you expecting today?" she asked as her eyes went wide as saucers as she watched Jake disarm himself. A blaster in the small of his back, another in his boot, a large dagger on each forearm, three in his other boot, and the one she had seen on his belt.

Then Chance elbowed him.

"They are not weapons," Jake scowled.

"It's too easy to use as one," the tabby told him.

"I'll decide if it is a weapon," the guard taking their inventory said firmly.

Jake nodded and handed over the bracers his blades had been housed in.

"It's basically a stun gun," Chance said.

"It's a weapon," the guard said, adding it to the pile and taking note of it. "Any other special equipment?"

"No, sir," Jake shook his head.

"He'll want to check your purse," he told Mayrie, taking his keys and wallet out so they wouldn't trip the metal detectors he knew were waiting for them. "And it's not so much expecting trouble as tonight I was as likely as not to get called in if an emergency came up. I usually try to arrange our dates for nights when I'm only going to be called in for a disaster."

"Okay," she nodded and handed over her purse, watching as it was looked through, then put in the small tote of things they would pick up on the other side of the various scanners that guarded the entrance. She followed the guys threw a serious of scanner doorways, some that hummed, one that blew air across her, and each looking for a different type of thing, she assumed.

She couldn't help but notice that Jake was a lot more edgy now that he was unarmed.

"If anything goes wrong inside, you'll be the first one armed," Chance pointed out to his partner quietly as they went along. "You know that. Come on, let's get this over with."

Mayrie retrieved her purse, waiting until the guards at the gates were out of sight before she checked it almost on reflex.

"Everything there?" Chance asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "Really, I figured it would be, it's just -"

"Just habit," Chance agreed. "I know. Just watch Jake when we get out, on the drive home. It's quite a sight when he gets his equipment back."

"They have no idea what they are dealing with. They mess it up sometimes," Jake countered, tying to be in good humor about being unarmed in a place filled with the most dangerous criminals that he'd helped put away.

"It's really that bad here?" Mayrie glanced between them.

"Only if the bad guys get loose," Jake consented. "It's just been a very long time since I've been unarmed when it hasn't been a really bad situation."

"And it's going to be a longer time," Chance promised him. "Besides, you remember why they're so stringent about it."

"Just because it's maximum security, right?" Mayrie asked.

"Vic's mother went across the table and killed the murderer with a hatpin, about fifty years back," Chance said, shaking his head. "Back when they were still in style. Worst part is, there's some real debate yet over whether she did it out of grief, or because the Manges put her up to it. They knew he was being groomed for a plea bargain in exchange for ratting them out."

"Times like that I wish magic was still acceptable in court," Jake grumbled as they reached the hospital. "It wouldn't take much divination to find out the truth while she was still alive."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't change that you're unarmed," Chance pointed out. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. The only thing we have to worry about is something going wrong with the birth."

"Like mom killing the kits so we don't get them," he said and buzzed for admittance beyond on the heavily reinforced door of the hospital.

"ID?" A voice came from the speaker.

"Major Jake Clawson, Major Chance Furlong and Mayrie Furlong, here for the birth of Chance's kits," Jake answered.

There was a pause, then the heavy locking mechanism clanked open and a nurse opened it for them. "She'll be at this for several hours from the early signs," she said, ushering them in.

"Understood," Chance nodded. "How's she doing?" He asked the nurse as they all walked in and the door was closed and locked behind them.

"In an unusually good mood, and faking not feeling the pain remarkably well," she said.

"She's rather be in pain than drugged," Jake guessed.

"Likely," the nurse nodded. "Since you aren't coming in, you can watch it on closed circuit TV in my office."

"Thank you," Chance nodded, following her in. "I don't want to upset her by showing that I'm here, if I can help it."

"Probably for the best," the nurse admitted as they sat down and she turned the small TV in her officer on and turned it to the delivery room. "She's already in quite a state from the guards and restraints. Your lawyers forwarded their research to us and Dr. Landar had quite a reaction to it."

"Her family kills their male kits at birth," Jake explained to Chance slightly confused look.

"Wonderful," Mayrie growled.

"I'm not surprised," Chance said, shaking his head. "Maybe a little that it's her whole family, but she makes the Traverans look positively egalitarian."

"I'm not sure I'd go _that_ far," Jake muttered. "But they are seriously warped for modern times."

"Don't worry, she won't get her hands on the boy," the nurse assured them. "She's already signed that paperwork. She's only contesting the girl. Given who you are, she doesn't stand a chance once the paternity test confirms you're her sire."

"That's what I'm hoping for," Chance nodded. "I wasn't planning on having a kit with her by any means, but I don't want either of them brought up with that sort of poison around them."

"That a judge will find it equally disturbing is what I'm counting on if it gets that far," Jake added, absently curious about watching a birth live on the screen.

"There is water and coffee in the next room, our break room, but if you get hungry, press the comm on my desk and ask for a staff meal to be brought," the nurse showed them. "I believe it's meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight."

"Thank you," Jake inclined his head to her and she left to help with the delivery.

"So now that we're about to take at least one home, do you have it all worked out?" Mayrie asked, causing Jake to groan.

"Honestly... no," Chance admitted. "Hadn't expected it, and things have been crazy for us... we've got what we _need_ set up, at least, but we still don't have everything arranged. Ryan's going to help us out to start with though, at least during the day. Gods, she's an angel."

"She is," Jake nodded. "She knows how to take care of newborns, and she knows exactly how to deal with people who have schedules like ours. Mom may not risk getting shot down, but she's not home much."

"I'll take a few days off to help you set up," Mayrie said.

"You don't _have_ to do that," Chance offered. "I know how thrilled they'd be to hear that at work."

"I'm just an operator," she shook her head. "They'll live. They know this is coming, even if not when. My boss is good about it."

"Okay then," Chance nodded. "I just don't want you getting in trouble, that's all. Thanks for the help - you've got a better idea what we'll need than either of us, honestly."

"I'm sure between Ryan and me and Jake's checkbook we'll have your place set up in no time," she smiled. "She's been ready for weeks."

"I'm sure it's the setup mom had, and me, and my sister," Jake chuckled, wincing when Turmoil screamed. "Is that _normal_?"

"Without painkillers, I think so," she said a little uncertainly. "I've never been keen on the whole natural birth thing myself. I like not feeling things tear."

"Yeah... Mom tried it once that I know of," Chance shuddered. "Dad wouldn't let her after that... something about it not being safe for _him_ either. Mayrie? On a less painful topic," he winced again as Turmoil let out another piercing scream, "do you think you might want to come with us to the show, when it's time?"

"When you're on stage, I think so," she nodded. "I'm not about to let you be eye candy for thousands without getting a look for myself," she winked at him. "There are some bragging rights being the winner's girlfriend."

"Oh yeah," he snickered. "Mmm... and vacation opportunities. Winner gets a travel stipend and standing invite to a lot of events around the world."

"Are you planning to take them up on it?" she purred.

"Depends on the schedule," he purred back, trying to tune out Turmoil as he leaned against her lightly. "And how much it's worth it to get a partial-paid vacation."

"After all, we'll be working towards retirement from the front line, and it's not like we _need_ a full paycheck," Jake added, quietly reminding Chance that as far as Jake was concerned, his wealth was Chance's too.

"Yeah, I know, but I shouldn't go skipping class to go gallivanting across the world," Chance teased lightly. "I'm gonna have to pick things up now though... try and get off of it as soon as things are dealt with."

"And as soon as Feral will let us," Jake agreed. "Hate to admit it, but the last few months have done a lot to set us up for the move. You're already a trainer, a proven one on the extreme edge of combat craft, not to mention you have more time in space than all but a handful of people in the world," Jake glanced at him as something struck him for the first time. "You know, with your experience, you'd be able to all but walk into an astronaut job."

"Heh - I thought we were looking at things that would be _more_ safe for me to do," Chance teased. "Though the way things are going, either one of us could probably get into activism too. Not that I'm about to."

"Possibly," Jake nodded. "Though between FEW, teaching and design work, I expect to have a full schedule."

"And there are the kits," Mayrie added with a chuckle. "They can easily be a full time job for two. So, what _are_ you interested in doing?" she looked at Chance. "You've been military your whole life."

"I'll probably stay in it, take to teaching the next waves," Chance told her easily. "The benefits are good, I still get in the air, and I don't go into battle unless things are _really_ desperate. I'd be the last guy they called in before the retired aces, basically. Maybe do a little test flying on the side, but most likely unofficial."

"And most likely for me," Jake chuckled, wincing as Turmoil screamed again as the head of the first kit breached her body. "How in the _world_ do you want to do that again?" he started at Mayrie.

"Very good drugs," she chuckled. "Trust me, when you come out, it's just an uncomfortable haze, not that."

"So _very_ glad toms don't have to go through that," Chance shook his head. "Of course, she's not really built for kits, either. Probably not helping at all."

"No, it wouldn't," Mayrie nodded. "Though she isn't built that poorly for them, or labor would take a _lot_ longer, and she's probably end up with a C-section."

"I'm a little surprised she didn't think to ask for one," Chance admitted. "She does _not_ seem happy with this right now... suppose she thought one of the doc's might try something."

"They _have_ to drug you for it," Mayrie pointed out. "If she doesn't want to be drugged, this is her only option."

"When is she ever happy?" Jake asked dryly. "When she's not about to kill us all, at least."

"Well, she _did_ like dogs," Chance mused. "At least I think she did. At any rate, I know what you mean," he winced as she screamed again with another contraction. "How long was it between Mitch and May?"

"Fifteen minutes," she said. "But my entire labor, from my water breaking to Mitch coming out, was only three hours. I'm built for it, even with Furlong kits," she patted her wide hips. "She's not nearly so well suited."

"You're right there," Chance nodded. "Any idea when I might get a chance to see them?"

"A few minutes after they are born," she said. "They cut the umbilical, make them cry, do a quick clean-up, weigh and such, then let the parents have them."

"We'll just have to wait until then, then," Chance nodded. "Can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen yet tonight," he admitted.

"We'll just be ready for it," Jake said simply as they settled in to watch the birth of the boy and wait for the first born, the girl, to be brought out so they could see her.

Chance yawned before a quick knock on the office door startled him to his feet.

He hurried over to open it, smiling as the nurse greeted him from the other side, a gold-and-chocolate marked tabby shekat in a pink blanket in her arms.

"Congratulations," she smiled. "The boy should be along soon, but there's no telling exactly how long," she said, carefully passing him the kit. Chance swallowed, not really able to say anything as he looked down at the tightly-squeezed eyes and folded ears of his daughter. Her fine, short fur was the dark brown of her mother, but the facial black tabby stripes of Chance's grandfather were clearly visible, and her build was definitely Furlong.

"Ohh, she's _adorable_ ," Mayrie nearly squealed as she looked around Chance to get a look at the well-wrapped newborn. "She's definitely your kin."

"Yeah," Chance smiled softly, reaching down to scratch her chin lightly, his smile broadening to a grin when she mewled softly and caught his finger in her mouth, suckling it lightly. "I remember hearing about when Mom brought Mindy home. Wasn't anything like this though."

"She wasn't _yours_ ," Mayrie smiled at him, giving Jake a quick look and encouraging him to get a closer look.

He stepped closer, cocked his head, looked at the newborn, then his partner, then Mayrie and back. "I really don't see it," he apologized.

"It's okay," Chance smiled. "You've never dealt with newborns at all - how do you like her?"

Jake had a rather deer in the headlights expression for a moment before he found his voice. "Umm, how long before she's ... interactive?"

"I'd guess around age three you'll be able to understand her," Mayrie said. "How old was your sister when you met her?"

"Almost six," Jake said, still not sure how to answer his partner. "I don't think I have an opinion of her," he apologized, a little sick to his stomach. "I always ... talk first," he struggled to explain how he could do well with kittens and not bond with the newborn at all without actually _saying_ what his response actually was; that she looked like a very ugly pet cat. It scared him deep down that he didn't even recognize her as his own species, much less as his stepdaughter.

"It's okay, Jake," Chance reassured him. "How'd you go six years without meeting your sister?"

"I'm not entirely sure," he said, still looking at the newborn with a mixture of fascination and disturbed. "I really wasn't home that often, she spent time with other relatives, or with friends, I guess."

"He _was_ in college before she was born, I think," Mayrie reminded him.

"Three years after I moved out of the house," Jake nodded. "We may technically be siblings, but we were all raised as single kits."

"Hard to remember," Chance agreed. "You want to hold her, Mayrie?" He asked her, chuckling when she lit up. "You'll be the closest to her mother, after all," he added as he handed the newborn over. He couldn't help but melt inside to see his girlfriend go completely maternal over his daughter.

The nurse looked between the three of them for a moment, then turned her attention to Chance. "Have you picked out a name for her? It's needed for her birth certificate."

"Cassandra Furlong," Chance told her. "It was kind of picked out for her already," he smiled softly, glad that he'd have the chance now to make sure the future he'd seen wouldn't happen.

"Cassandra, sweet name," she smiled at him. "Where does it come from?"

"I'm not sure," Chance admitted. "I met her when she was grown up, in a very different life from a very different future than what she has now. Turmoil might know why she chose it, but I don't particularly want to ask her."

"Umm, okay," the nurse blinked. "I'm going to have to take her to the nursery soon," she apologized. "The boy you will be able to take home, if you want, though I do recomend letting us keep him overnight to make sure everything is working right."

"Thank you, we'll think it over," Chance nodded, as Mayrie handed Cassandra to her. "And it confuses me too," he chuckled, kissing his daughter's forehead gently. "Thank you for bringing her here."

"You are welcome," the nurse smiled at them before she left with the newborn in her arms.

"That ... was officially weird," Jake shook his head. "Do we want to trust they are safe here?"

"For the night, it's probably best," Chance admitted. "It'll give us some time for the last-minute prep before we've actually _got_ a kit in the house."

"How long before he's mobile?" Jake looked at Mayrie.

"Probably six months," she said, startling both toms. "That's when they usually start to crawl."

"I guess I have more time than I expected," Jake let out a bit of tension. "I thought it was a lot sooner than that."

"And as I remember, that's mostly a matter of bolting down anything that can fall or be opened from shin height, right?" Chance checked, trying to remember the crawl-proofing that had gone on with his family.

"And making sure that all sharp or small objects, and dangerous liquids, are similarly secured," Mayrie added. "I recommend securing the fridge door too," she added. "Furlong kits are strong and stubborn."

"I remember," Chance said a little sheepishly. "That'll be one of the first things, probably. Good news is, we've got one of the best guys for security to help us out with it," he winked, kissing Jake's cheek lightly.

"And a mother her knows her stuff," Jake added with a blush.


	53. Using Old Allies

"Jake, I can't lock them out," Sara's tone was bordering on panic as Jake was spending some of Chance's light duty weeks working on building a new TurboKat. "They have clearance codes I didn't know existed!"

"It's all right," Jake soothed her. "Just let them in and stay quiet," he instructed as he moved quickly to a concealed location and pulled on the best armor he could on such short notice.

"Major Jake Clawson?" A polite, fairly light female voice called out to him as he heard two people, her and a larger one, either a tom or a fem Felina's size, enter the hanger looking for him. "May I have a word with you? We know you're here."

One glance told him that she was government of some sort, a woman about his age, maybe a bit younger, in a navy-blue pantsuit, with raven-black hair that matched her fur perfectly, except for the shock of white in her bangs that stood out like a headlight. "I am Agent Maria Walker, NSA."

"She and her partner are classified," Sara whispered with clear annoyance in his ear.

"Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous it is to override my security?" Jake asked her evenly as he walked out of concealment, his weapon still ready. "It's a very good way to get a nasty hole in you."

"I'm sorry, but we weren't able to get ahold of you any other way," Her partner, brown on black tabby tom, said, holding his hands out so Jake could see he wasn't armed. He nudged his partner to do the same. "We tried to arrange an appointment, but the situation we're dealing with is serious. I'm Agent Mark Renard," he said and offered his hand to Jake.

It was enough for Jake to lower his weapon and shake his hand.

"We spoke with your Commander about this, and he did authorize us to ask for your help," Mark said.

"We need your help to retrieve an item from Queen Tetradyne of the Balan Region; we understand you're an old acquaintance of hers?" Maria said.

"I worked for her years ago, yes," Jake nodded and leaned back. "So if you are coming to me, you have tried, and failed, to buy it, steal it, bribe it to be stolen, destroy it. Tell me when I'm wrong."

"We haven't tried to destroy it, or Queen Tetradyne," Maria told him. "The item is potentially very dangerous; we want to contain it safely, and we're willing to pay for it, but she isn't interested."

"So what am I trying to buy with your money?" Jake asked.

The agents glanced at each other.

"Come _on_ ," Jake rolled his eyes. "If you want me to buy it, I have to know what to ask for."

"He has a point," Mark looked at Maria.

"It's called the Staff of Shenrasen," Maria explained reluctantly, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a PDA, showing an image of it to Jake. "She acquired it roughly two years ago, before we were aware of it. According to legend, it once belonged to an archmage who attempted to conquer the region. Very similar to the Pastmaster's Tome of Time, if you remember what he was capable of with that."

"A little too well," he nodded with a shudder. "Any danger in casually handling it?"

"Not enough that she's likely to trigger its effects, but the longer such an item is out in the wild, the greater the odds that an Omega will succeed where our agents have failed to date," she explained. "That's why we're hoping you'll help us."

"What are the effects?" he asked, nodded, his body language agreeable.

"We can't be clear on all of what it is capable of," Maria admitted. "Largely because we don't really know. Having belonged to an archmage, the legends are hard to separate from reality, and it's even harder to separate the Staff from his own powers. However, it has been cited as being capable of large-scale weather manipulation, and affecting the fertility of an entire region. There are also, of course, the typical defensive abilities an Archmage's talisman has."

"Do you know if she knows what she has?" Jake asked, going over options and not really thrilled with any of them. "And what is your max price tag?"

"The purchasing team explained the situation, and reported that she only seemed more determined to hold onto it," Mark told him.

"A fairly typical response, I'm afraid," Maria agreed. "Our maximum price tag... well, it depends on what's involved. We're not willing to exchange another of our artifacts for hers, which is all she's reported to have been interested in. Money... we have very few limits."

"Half a billion?" Jake asked. "I know something she wants, and that's the price tag."

"What do you have that's half a billion dollars?" Mark asked, clearly startled by the numbers he was tossing around.

"My work," he motioned to the jet he was working on. "That's what she paid for the last jet I built for her. I'm sure it's why your CO sent you to me. Money can buy the craft, but it _can't_ buy a place on my worklist now that I'm an Enforcer."

"That is likely why they suggested you," Maria agreed. "That price tag might be a bit much, but I'll have to check with our superiors for actual dollar amounts. While we're on the way to speak with her, perhaps? It would be best if we could address her in person."

"Just let me know what the budget is and I'll run negotiations with her," Jake told them before turning to do a quick job of packing for a few days away.

"We'll make arrangements as soon as we're on the way," Maria nodded, making a mental list of everything he took, and what he didn't. She couldn't help but wonder that he kept at least three weeks worth of travel goods, clothing and such in his workshop.

"Do you have a private jet?" Jake asked politely as he made a quick glance around for anything he might want to bring.

"We do," she nodded. "And a flight plan cleared for... an hour from now," she said, checking her watch. "If we couldn't get you, we would have had to go back on our own. Is there anything you'll need from another place?"

"No," he decided as he walked out with the pair. "Just a couple calls so people know I'm gone."

"Easily arranged," she nodded, leading him out to a sleek black SUV that screamed 'government issued vehicle.'

"We don't use it for surveillance," Mark offered with a chuckle. "So, how long have you known Queen Tetradyne?" He asked as he opened the door for Jake.

"Mmm, twenty years or so," Jake said as he settled into the back seat. "I did a job for her when I was working at SkyTech, and a second as a private commission ten years ago. She's been trying to get me to do another for over a year, but I don't have the time to commit to it while I'm still active duty."

"Well, then with any luck, this should go quite nicely, if a little expensive," Maria nodded, picking up her phone and dialing out as Mark started to drive.

"My work doesn't come cheep, but I've never had a client say it wasn't worth it," Jake smiled slightly at her and quieted while she was on the phone.

She talked back and forth with her superiors, and Jake wasn't surprised to see her occasionally wince and frown at what was said on the other side. Before too much longer, she hung up, handing the phone to Jake.

"I've been asked to keep it to $100 million, if possible. You can make the calls you need now."

"I'll do my best," he nodded and dialed the Commander's office number directly.

"Feral's office," the Commander said professionally after a few rings, half surprising Jake when Sara didn't warn him it had been rerouted somewhere else.

"Commander, this is Major Clawson. I understand you authorized me to assist a couple of agents in a retrieval mission."

"I did," the Commander agreed. "We're hoping it won't take long with your assistance. I think it'll be an excellent opportunity for you to learn about the world outside the lab and cockpit," he offered.

"I'll do my best sir," he chuckled slightly, trying to pass the hint off as a teasing joke to anyone else that was listening. "I expect I'll be back by the weekend. I will keep you posted."

"Do that," the Commander told him. "I'll be looking forward to your report."

"Did it go well?" Mark called back as Jake hung up.

"As well as it can when he loses control of one of his officers, even one on light duty," Jake chuckled before dialing Chance's cell.

"Chance Furlong speaking; who is this?" Chance asked him.

"Hay partner," Jake said cheerfully. "Goods odds you wouldn't have noticed, but I'll be out of the country for a few days. Official no-talking BS mission."

"And they didn't invite me too?" Chance said with a frown Jake could almost hear. "I suppose it'll be more time with the kits, but damn. You'd _better_ come back in one piece."

"If I don't, you know where to get their IDs," Jake promised with a chuckle. "I'm not expecting much trouble, and you can always commiserate with Feral. He's just _thrilled_ with this one," he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure he is," Chance chuckled. "Take care of yourself, buddy - give me a call when you're back, I'll come pick you up."

"I will," Jake promised before hanging up and handing the phone back to Agent Walker.

"He's not going to have to," Mike said, earning a look from his partner. "You remember Red Cloud in the Lothos War?"

"Hearing about him, yes," she gave him another look that spoke volumes about what she needed to hear and really didn't want to.

"That's his partner," Mike continued. "I'm sure by now the safe distance is out to several miles, when he's not in a fighter.

"Five, maybe a bit more, with the last sniper riffle I gave him," Jake confirmed. "He's not dangerous though."

"You have a strange definition of dangerous, Major," Maria said dryly.

"Because he's only dangerous when something he cares about is threatened," Jake shrugged. "Otherwise he's a very mellow Kat."

"Come on, Maria," Mark chuckled. "If we had to be that literal, I'd have to start calling you dangerous. Or half the people we work with, for that matter."

"I wouldn't object," Maria shrugged slightly. "How about you, Jake? I've read what we had in your file, but those never really give you the full picture, especially not with people like you."

The lean tom chuckled. "I'm probably more dangerous than my partner, simply because I haven't regretted a kill yet, and he has. I haven't had to nearly so often either. I'm a lot more paranoid too, something I expect you understand."

"Some of us more than others," Maria nodded. "Given what we work with, I'm sure you can understand why we value our privacy. There are many people out there who'd like to get access to our facilities."

"Some more friendly than others," Jake nodded. "Very much like my hanger workshop, with a more liberal shoot first option, I expect. What do you do with all these artifacts you collect?"

"Typically, we keep them in storage," Maria explained. "Neutralizing their powers by whatever means might prove necessary, of course."

Jake cocked his head at her. "Why? Magic would sure some in handy sometimes."

"It can also be dangerous," Mark pointed out as he drove. "Especially when it starts interacting with the things around it. Yeah, magic can do great things - in theory, the Staff might be used to make a fertile paradise. But if the wrong person grabs it... risk isn't worth the reward."

"Just screen the people who get them," Jake pointed out, then shook his head with a chuckle. "I know this'll come down to bureaucracy and 'this is just how it's done'," he told them. "It just seems a waste of really valuable resources, especially given what's sitting on our moon right now."

"All artifacts have some kind of issue with them. Use them for too long, or even just be in the wrong place when they go off, and they'll do something bad to you or those around you," Maria added. "That's the real hazard."

"What's on the moon?" Mark asked.

That raised an eyebrow and a mental note that they didn't have full clearance to everything. "I'll need to see your badges again," Jake said politely.

Maria pulled hers out, passing it over to Jake.

"Mark has the same clearance I do," she told him, not wanting to distract her partner in traffic if she could help it. She watched from the corner of her eye as he made a relatively quick check of the subtle marks of her security clearance and handed it back.

"During our last trip to the future, Chance and I learned of a massive invasion by an alien race called humans. We came back with one of their shuttles, a lot of intel, and a heads up that they were about to invade from a base on the moon," Jake gave them the brief overview. "We blew up one base, they built a second and we're still scrambling to be ready for the attack."

"Well, we'll try to get you back so you can get to work as quickly as possible," Maria nodded. "I'll be sure my superiors know about this, but I don't know what we'll be doing as an element of this. The artifacts we have are often unpredictable; our focus is on acquisition more than understanding, much of the time."

"For lack of people, or lack of interest?" he asked, obviously very interested. "Is there a tesseract in the collection?"

"It hasn't been a priority to put the people we have on, so you might say it's a bit of both," Maria told him. "And not that I'm aware of. It's not the sort of thing that's likely to be too dangerous, and to the best of my knowledge, nobody's designed one that met our criteria while it was still in existence."

"Pity," Jake sighed. "I was hoping to get a look at one someone else built."

"I'm afraid they're not very common," she chuckled. "Though we've had a few complaints with your work, for that matter. You've seen a rather impressive number of artifacts destroyed through your career."

"Not that we're objecting, I understand the conditions," Mark added before Jake could object. "However, the Tome of Time, for an example, is something we'd have wanted to have."

"That is the danger of not letting the front line know there is a safe place for these things," Jake pointed out evenly. "From our point of view, if it's not destroyed, it gets used again, against us. That's what our history says."

"I understand," she nodded. "And your situation is entirely different."

"Here we are," Mark called back, pulling in at a smaller airfield with a private jet already waiting for them. "Come on, let's get moving - we can keep talking on the flight," he offered, climbing out and coming around to help Jake with his bag. He was still mildly surprised that he traveled so lightly.

"Thanks," Jake smiled at him when Mark took his duffel to store on board. "How long will the flight be?" he asked Maria as they walked up the short stairs to the executive-class jet.

"About twelve hours, more if we have to stop and refuel," she explained. "Not as fast as you're used to flying, I'm sure," she chuckled.

"That would be one way of putting it," Jake chuckled. "I'm used to something that can make it to the moon and partway back by then. This is much more comfortable a ride, however," he added as he took in the rich leather interiors and wood paneling, all laid out more like a lounge than any jet he was used to.

"It's an upgraded relic from the early days of jets," Maria chuckled. "One of the classics. This one we use - it's harmless, just a technological marvel," she winked as she relaxed, taking her seat along with Mark.

"I'll mix drinks after we're in the air, if anybody wants," Mark offered.

"Professor Lankin's work, no doubt," Jake smiled slightly as he ran a hand along the paneling and leather in appreciation of a style of craftsmanship that had gone out of style well before he'd been born.

"Built before the days of commercial air travel - or, at least, before it became something that anybody _but_ the ultra-rich could afford," she nodded. "His last jet; he actually donated it to us in his will, which was a pleasant change from what's usually involved. We helped him out earlier in his career, when Lothos tried forcing him to start designing their jets."

"I heard bits and pieces from his granddaughter," Jake nodded and sat down in a plush leather chair that swiveled to some extent but was naturally oriented towards the middle of the craft, facing the other seats. "What makes an artifact an artifact?"

"Magic is one option that almost always puts it on the list," Maria explained. "A level of technology that pushes the line between tech and magic at the time is the final designation. We don't take anything from a living creator though," she offered.

"But an undead one is fair game?" he guessed. "And thank you, even if I'm sure that rule is politically driven."

"Undead ones can be the most dangerous to leave with their gear," Mark pointed out. "And to some extent, yeah... I think it's also that they don't want to piss off anybody who can build those things." The jet took off, rising through the air in a way that was unfamiliar to Jake - he was used to going forward, sometimes backward. Almost never sideways like this.

"I know that I'd take it badly, and so would most of those I've worked with," Jake nodded. "Do you understand how an artifact happens? You say I've built them, but it's not something I'm aware of doing."

"People rarely are - your Turbokat qualified," she pointed out. "It was a cutting-edge design, and was likely to remain so for some decades, even without your constant tweaking. That's true even without the tesseract you managed to build into it."

"Which I really wish I knew how I did it, since she was destroyed," Jake grumbled. "Do most artifacts have personalities? Not in talking at you, but like you always here about high-performance craft having one."

Maria thought about it, unsure of how to explain without going much further than would be accepted.

"Most do," Mark spoke up, bringing each of them a mixed drink as the aircraft leveled out. "Most of the artifacts I've encountered acquire their personality, purpose and power by association with a strong-willed person," he said, earning a nasty look from his partner that both toms chose to ignore. "Someone who has only one goal in life, something that consumes them, seems to transfer that need to an object that is close to them, and the object can carry on that goal forever."

"Oh boy," Jake groaned, rolling his eyes and taking a sip of the drink. "How many of them are mobile?"

"Very few," Maria said with relief evident in her voice.

"So what is your agency called?" Jake asked as he settled back, trying to relax as much as he could in the circumstances.

"We're NSA agent's," Maria told him. "I didn't lie to you."

"Okay, you're sub-agency," he asked instead.

"Classified," she said firmly. "You're not getting more than that."

"Must be difficult to recruit, when you won't let people know who's recruiting them," he pointed out.

That made the agents share a bemused, knowing look.

"It's not an agency that recruits," Mark explained. "Not the way you're thinking. You get shoved into this job."

"So you didn't want to start this?" Jake asked, looking between them, controlling the irritated twitch to his tail. "Why do you keep doing it?"

"We were well into it before we had a clue what 'this' was," Maria told him. "It came down as orders, like any other transfer."

"Only it didn't turn out to be like any other transfer," Mark added.

"Kinda like the Ghosts?" Jake guessed. "How'd you get in then?" He asked Mark. "I can tell you had a Sayden Bay accent."

"Less clear," Maria said dryly. "Feral's pretty straightforward with what he wants. That can't be said with the Regents. I've been an agent for twenty years and I still haven't met most of them."

"She got a flat transfer within the NSA," Mark nodded to his partner. "I got too good at busting crime. I got transfer orders, no explanation, just 'go and don't say a word' by a lady I eventually learned was the recruiting Regent. When I got there, I got a bit of an explanation, and that I could go back, but with the price on my head in 'Bay, it's a better life."

"Most likely, if you were too good," Jake nodded. "That's one place I'm glad not to be working. So, what sort of things do your Regents look for? I might have some old colleagues working for you these days."

"Possibly," Maria consented.

"I don't know if we were told the truth, but field teams are created with an intuitive like me and a detail person like miss rules there," Mark teased his partner.

"It keeps you out of trouble," she pointed out dryly, taking a sip of her drink.

"Not often," Mark countered. "Doesn't help you a lot either, you know."

"So they're not really looking for experts in the Artifacts - how do they know where to find them, unless there's a decent sized research staff you're just not mentioning yet?"

"If they're a staff, I haven't seen them," Mark shook his head. "We just get told where to go, and if we're really lucky, what we're after."

"So how do you figure it out if they _don't_ tell you? Follow the weird things that are happening?" Jake asked, cocking his head, trying to figure out a retrieval group that didn't know what to retrieve.

"Pretty much," Mark nodded. "This is a very unusual assignment for us, on all fronts."

"Don't usually have outside help," Jake guessed. "Sounds like a pretty strange arrangement normally though."

"It's a strange job," Maria acknowledged. "Why would you be interested in it?"

Jake relaxed back and chuckled. "Let's see, an opportunity to work with really strange, advanced stuff, apparently I create them, so it'd be good to understand them, a _challenge_ ," he grinned just a bit viciously. "I haven't had a proper long-term challenge in too long. Besides, I think my track record speaks for itself. I'm a magnet for these things. I might as well know what I'm doing. Besides, if I'm going to be running into these things regularly, what better place for me to work?"

"Great arguments, we'll pas them on," Maria told him. "I have no idea when or how they choose. It's not a process they let us in on."

"I understand," Jake nodded, shifting to look out the window, then got up to pull a small laptop out of his duffle bag. "Feel free to talk, but with twelve hours to kill, I might as well get some work done."

"No problem," Mark nodded.

* * *

"No wonder money wasn't much of a persuader," Mark said with a whistle as he looked up at the vast house that Queen Tetradyne had as the jewel of her wide estate. "Just how did they make their money again?" He asked Maria as the car taking them from the airport to the mansion pulled up by the door.

"Her clan, under her grandmother, lead the revolt that put the country back in native control a hundred and ten years ago," Maria said. "As such, they received the pick of the mineral rights and a great deal of power in the new government."

"That'll do it," he nodded, taking their bags when they got out of the car.

"Jake! Wonderful to see you," Queen Shelyn Tetradyne called out in thickly accented Katian as she opened the door, the well-muscled middle-aged Hyena woman coming out to greet him as an old friend. "You should have told me you'd be coming; you and your friends come inside," she said, turning to usher them in. "You have the hospitality of my home."

"My apologies, Queen Tetradyne," Jake accepted the enveloping hug with good humor before they walked inside the polished marble entrance way. "It was quite a last-minute invitation. I'm surprised they didn't tell you when they asked for a meeting."

"We weren't sure we'd have you when we arranged it," Mark chuckled.

"Oh, they've been trying to have meeting after meeting since I bought the Staff," Shelyn snorted, shaking her head. "So, how are you doing? We haven't spoken for ages," she said with honest interest in Jake's well-being.

"Very well," he grinned at her. "I know being an Enforcer put a damper on your commissions, but I love it. It's probably coming to an end though, now that my partner has kits."

"Mmm, well, I hope that means you've got a slot open for something new," she rumbled. "It's been years since I've been able to get one of your birds, and I'm sure you've only gotten better now that you're flying in them yourself. They're still reluctant to sell us your Ravens," she told him. "Not sure if it's just being sore losers, or because they're confident they're that good, but either way it says how much they value your work."

"Probably a mixture of both," he chuckled. "They _are_ that good, especially the wing I fly with," he purred. "And I don't have a regular slot yet, probably not for a few years, but when money didn't win that staff, they thought something they have that money can't buy right now would win some interest."

"Mmm... well, that depends," she rumbled. "I'll need to know what you can do that will be as unique for me as the Staff is. How long can you stay?"

"It depends on the deal we make, but I don't have a set timeframe right now," he said easily. "You know my work is worth its price, no matter what that price is."

"I know, I know," she chuckled. "I'll show you around my collection while we talk, how does that sound? Your friends can settle in," she said, as feline servants came out to take their bags.

"Sounds good," he agreed cheerfully as they walked off to see what she had acquired in the decade since his last real visit. "How have the Queen's Heart and Lady Sun been working for you?"

"Beautifully, though the Lady Sun's been having a little engine trouble lately. We caught a rather substantial condor in one of the engines last month, it hasn't been the same since," she explained. "So, would you like to start with my technological toys, my magical ones, or the living ones?"

"I'd like to take a look at the Lady Sun's engines, if you don't mind," he grinned at her. "You can catch me up on the last decade, maybe some ideas on what you've been trying to commission me for in the last couple years."

"Well, that works for me," she grinned, changing directions to head out towards the hangars. "And maybe _you_ can not confirm some rumors I've been hearing," she winked.

"I'll tell you what I can," he chuckled as they walked to the private hangar and runway. "I'm sure you know most of my work is still classified."

"That's why I said you can not confirm it," she giggled as they approached the customized jet. "They've done everything but rebuild the engine so far, and only because I won't let them. I was going to be calling you soon, but it seems I've been saved the trouble... what are they offering you, in all this?"

"It's my job," he shrugged, taking a preliminary look along the newer of his two creations as his mind drifted into engineer mode and his answers a bit distant as they became secondary. "Enforcers are part of the government and so are they. However they did it, they got orders that put me here and my mission is to help them get that staff thing. I'm not sure if they realize I could steal it, but I'd prefer to cut a deal where you're fairly compensated. I know you've wanted another commission from me, something money can't buy but they can offer, so I suggested that before they suggested anything. What _is_ that thing, anyway? Any clue why it's such a big deal?"

"From what I've been able to gather, they're afraid that it has the powers of an archmage who made the mistake of trying to conquer our land centuries ago," she explained. "It's not a particularly attractive part of my collection, but the historical value is notable, whether it has those powers or not. My researchers are still looking into the specific powers, and how to use them or not. To be honest, I'd rather have one of your jets - they're not as big a target for thieves."

"I bet," he nodded. "Well from what I understand, a good chunk of the cost will still be yours, but they'll foot the cost of the airframe and they're arranging my time to do the job," he said as he began a closer inspection of the engine. "How badly has she been acting up?"

"The pilots are complaining that it's not getting the power it should, and I can feel the turbulence myself... it's not a major amount, but for one of _your_ babies, it shouldn't have any, I wouldn't think."

"If you can feel turbulence, it's definitely a problem," he nodded. "If your crew can't find the issue, I'll probably need my full workshop to work it out. I will though. It's likely something that's slightly loose, maybe that condor hit bent the turbines, but it would be a very small change," he turned and sat on the engine cowling's rim. "So how are your daughters doing?" he asked, relaxing against his creation and letting it talk to him while he talked to its owner.

"Wonderfully," she grinned. "Shanna's in Poli Sci at MegaKat City University on an exchange program, and Aura's firstborn had her nameday just last week. It's a good sign... and a good thing you didn't arrive until today, or we'd have still been hung over!"

"Not that that's ever stopped you," he laughed easily with her. "How many granddaughters do you have now, then?"

"Five granddaughters, and about as many grandsons. My mother says it's appalling that I've got so many so young, I think she's just jealous. How's your love life going now?" She asked him casually. "Find a girl who's more your speed yet?"

"Actually, yes," he smiled with a soft chuckle. "Her name's Sara, but no one else accepts that she really is my perfect mate, or that she even exists, really. I'm also in a more conventional relationship with my partner, though that one is not very public."

"Is that what caused the trouble there a few weeks ago?" She asked him. "I heard you were mixed up in that."

"Dead center," he sighed. "My partner's still healing, and I came very close to dieing. It was more about some bullies Chance stopped from beating a couple of immigrants to death going for revenge, but it's always going to read that it was because we're partners in every sense. I don't know when Commander Feral intends to make his big speech about it, but I'm sure it'll be headline news worldwide when he does."

"I can already tell you what the headlines will be around here," she chuckled. "'MegaKat City comes to its senses.' I don't know how your women put up with it for so long - not only being expected to take care of each other during heats they don't want kits, but male libidos too? And being the sole people expected to take care of them." She clicked her tongue, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Entirely too much to be expected of them."

"I couldn't agree more," he smiled slightly and relaxed just a bit more. "Especially the guys like Chance. Keeping up appearances has nothing to do with why I wanted him to get a girlfriend. I can't even begin to keep up with him."

"You've got yourself a triad now?" Shelyn asked him with a grin. "What's the girl like? I hope she knows how to keep you both in your place," she teased.

"Mayrie's pretty good at it," he chuckled. "A single mother of three, she can handle a grown up kitten and a workaholic genius. It's been a hell of a half year. We went from lovers to open mates to a closed sort-of triad with five kits," he shook his head in amazement. "It's been wild. She's still getting used to the idea that her boyfriend has a male mate, but it seems to be working out. We really need her too, with the newborns."

"Newborns?" Shelyn raised an eyebrow. "Your partner managed to knock somebody up? I can't imagine _you_ going for fatherhood."

"It was ... not in a good way," Jake said softly. "The mother forced him, then ended up getting captured. Since she'll be in prison until they're adults and then some, he gets to raise them. That's not the weird one, but those kittens we aren't raising. He also sired a litter with my mother, and I have to say, it's _still_ a very weird idea that one of my mate's kit will also be my little sister."

"I can't really blame you," she said, shaking her head. "What about the mother's family? Didn't they want anything to do with her?"

"They wanted her daughter, but the father does get precedence over the aunts in the line of custody," he explained. "They would have killed the boy and raised the girl to be like her mother, another Omega and killer. They have a solid history of it."

"There's something else there that you're not telling me, but I'll accept that you know that was what would happen," she shuddered. "You know my usual stance, but from the sound of it, this is the exception to my usual rule. How's she taking to raising kits who aren't hers?"

"Very well," Jake smiled "She's already nursing them, and she didn't _have_ to take care of them. My grandmother is helping and is quite willing to raise them, but Mayrie wants to. She's one of those addicted to motherhood types. She'd have kits every heat if she could."

" _Keep_ her, Jake," Shelyn said seriously. "Whatever it takes. That type is a godsend when it comes to raising children. I don't know where I'd be without Nanna, and neither do my pups. We're still not entirely sure how the Hell she manages to keep up with all of them, but she's raising all my grandchildren too."

"I intend to, especially because she makes Chance happy too," he smiled softly. "They dated in high school for a while, and her kits are by his brother, so he's actually blood kin to all the kits in the house, and probably will be. My grandmother raises all my mom's kits too, but mom's big on having one litter grown before the next comes."

"Explaining why she's still going when your mate's a viable sire," she chuckled, shaking her head. "That family tree has got to be confusing on so many levels."

"Just wait until two toms can get married in MKC," Jake chuckled. "Chance will be the kit's sire and brother-in-law, and I'll be its brother and uncle-in-law. It'll be a rare tree given incest isn't involved."

"Ah, but at least logical," she smiled. "On the other hand, let's see here... the adopted kits will have your partner as step-father and uncle all in one, as well as father to their half-siblings and husband to their uncle-by-law... or how _would_ your relationship to them work out?" She asked curiously. "I'm not quite sure. Not to mention that they'll have cousins who are practically brothers and sisters."

"By Chance's family norms, that's typical for cousins to be all but siblings," Jake said. "It's common for all the kits of the extended family to spend a lot of time together. Since Mayrie's kits are eight and thirteen, I'll probably remain their step-father's Enforcer partner, or their uncle's Enforcer partner, depending on how old they are when Chance and Mayrie get married. It'll probably be decades before Chance and I can, just on the two toms angle, never mind the triad. I don't know if we'll live long enough to see a triad become legally acknowledged. For his newborns, I expect I'm going to stick to 'Uncle Jake'. I don't mind them, but it's as much proof as I'll ever need that I'm not parental material. I don't want to try and be a father to them. I'll stick to being a Mentor. I'm good at that."

"Newborns don't come with all the features, hmm?" She chuckled. "Fair enough, I suppose. Still, for somebody who doesn't want to be a parent, you're taking all of this very well."

"Like talking," Jake nodded. "If I was home more often, or they woke me up, I might not be as okay with all this. The reality is that my options come down to taking it well, or I break up with Chance."

"Which you'd rather not do, obviously," Shelyn nodded sympathetically. "Just look out for when they _are_ talking," she winked. "Usually, the best time is between them sleeping through the night, and their forming semi-coherent sentences, before they've learned how to ask questions... of course, for you, the questions might be what you look forward to most."

"It is," he grinned. "Once they're in the understanding and questioning stage, I can understand them. If what Chance's older brother produced with Mayrie is any indication, Conner and Cassandra are going to be brilliant and gifted. Their mom may have been crazy, but she is brilliant, and so's Chance. The oldest of Mayrie's girls is talented enough that I took her in as my protégée."

"I call dibs," Shelyn grinned. "When she's old enough to be working."

Jake couldn't help but laugh. "I'll make sure she spends some time here while I'm working on your new jet," he promised.

"Well, you wouldn't take my offer - but maybe she will, if she's as good as you were," the Hyena winked. "Really, a designer of your caliber would just about complete my collection, in that area, and she wouldn't have to worry about resources - it's the best of both worlds for everybody, I'd think."

"You have at least a seven year wait," he warned her with a grin. "There is no way her mother will let her take a job out of the country before she graduates collage, and she's not letting her skip grades."

"Well, you'll also need to teach her to be properly brilliant too," she winked. "But I understand. I wouldn't want to try hiring her too soon; I wouldn't get the full benefit. Still, it's good to know that you think so highly of her. Do you really think she'll measure up though? It's a pretty tall order."

"I announced it at the International FEW convention last month," Jake told her. "It's in the records now. If she doesn't, it will hurt my reputation quite seriously."

"Well, we couldn't have _that_ happen," she laughed. "Have you gotten anything else from the Lady? If not, we can go inside and talk design."

"Just that I'll have to take her to my workshop to do a better diagnostic," he shook his head and hopped down. "I will need to build your new jet in MegaKat City in case I'm needed. Even if she will be my first priority, an Omega attack calls on all hands."

"I understand," she nodded. "I might join you, after a bit. Just to see how it's going, after things are squared away here. Besides, it's been ages since I've been to MegaKat City."

"And it's an excuse to spend some time with Shanna, and meet May," Jake added with a wink.

"Why Jake," she grinned, starting to lead him back inside. "To listen to you, you'd think I had ulterior motives!"

"When _don't_ you?" he laughed easily as they began the rest of the tour and catching up.

* * *

Jake woke in the dead of night to the sound of an alarm jangling loudly through the house, all the lights turning on, and a moment of dead silence from everybody in the mansion before the guards could process what was happening. It was a moment he spent getting dressed and grabbing his weapons.

"Robbery attempt in the mystic vault," a voice announced calmly over the PA in the local Heraki, then Katian. "Guests and members of the pack, please remain in your rooms."

With a low growl of frustration Jake complied, though he paced in his quarters, wondering if the agents he was with were trying something stupid even after he told them he'd not only cut them a deal for the Staff, but a damn good one.

The knock at the adjoining door to his room was enough to tell him that at least one of them wasn't. Maria had been put in that room, and the insistent knock told him that she wanted to see him _now_. He opened it, and stepped aside to allow the equally agitated shekat into his room.

"Is Mark in his quarters?" Jake asked.

"He will be soon," she nodded. "And no, he wasn't out trying to steal anything. You think they're after the Staff?"

"Possibly, or something else in her collection," Jake said. "It isn't a small one."

"No, it's not," she agreed, pulling a strange looking sidearm out and checking a gauge on the side. "How serious about the 'stay in your rooms' are they here?"

"You two, it's a good way to get either shot, torn apart, or charged with theft," he shook his head. "If I was caught, they'd probably send me back to my room."

"Jake, whoever this is, we can't let them have the Staff," she said, deadly serious. "Or any of the other artifacts we might be unaware of. And if they succeeded where previous agents failed, the odds are they can beat Queen Tetradyne's guards as well. We're the wild card."

"Then stay put," he told her, even though he didn't honestly expect her to once his back was turned. "She'll forgive me a lot more than you two," he added before slipping out the window with too much grace for a lifelong inventor and gunner.

He hated lying so blatantly to the agent, but he _so_ did not want them out complicating things. He quickly made his way around the building, following the commotion of the guards. He caught motion out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked to see what it was, there was nothing there. He flicked his ears, trying to catch a sound, and turned away, only to catch the flicker of movement again.

With a subtle motion as he focused on the spot again he began to rotate through the filters on his visor; night-vision, then infrared. Suddenly the form glowed brightly against the cooler rooftop, and he didn't hesitate, or even really look. He simply bolted for that spot, jumping and climbing along the wall to the roofline where it, a person, was.

Jake kept his eyes on the hot but invisible target as it took off, fast and agile, and tossed a small hot spot in his path. He angled around it, not sure what it was but fairly sure it was bad news just based on his average luck. It gave his target a head start, but as he passed the object at several body lengths away thick vines were sprouting up from it.

"I hate these things," he muttered to himself and kept moving, now all the more alert for trouble and wondering who was supplying this raid.

He saw what seemed to be a lightning bolt in reverse, an electrical blast coming up from the window but missing the thief. He couldn't see if it was Mark or Maria, but he had a hunch it was one of the two. The thief changed their path, glancing back to see if Jake was still trailing them, then leapt off the roof, disappearing over the edge.

"No you don't," he hissed under his breath and opened fire himself, aiming for his target's hip to disable them.

The blaster nearly blew out his visor's IR system, filling them with white for a moment before the target fell off the roof, clearly hit to judge by the yelping curse he heard.

The voice was definitely female.

"I've got her!" Mark called up from the ground. "She's - hey!"

"Chameleon suit!" Jake called down to him, running and leaping to the ground from memory as his eyes recovered and visor switched back to night vision until the IR system could function again.

"I've got a fix for that then," Mark muttered, flipping a switch on his gun and firing. Another lightning bolt discharged, and the shekat on the ground twitched as her suit was shorted out by it.

"She'll be rebooting for five, maybe ten minutes," the brown tabby added as Jake landed next to him.

"Did you see the Staff?" Jake asked quickly as he began to search the thief as he stripped her suit off.

"It fell on her way down," he nodded, fishing through the brush, finding it and holding it up with a grin. "We've got it! And don't you _dare_ tell Maria that I'm the one who found it," he added, handing it over to Jake.

"As long as you make yourself scarce and get back to your quarters before someone comes looking for you," Jake told him as he hefted the naked, black-furred thief over his shoulder. "I know what I can get away with. I'm not so sure what she'll think of you disobeying the order to stay in your room."

"Right, right," he grumbled, finding a good place in the ivy up the wall to try and make the climb.

"I just don't want to hurt the deal," Jake told him as he headed for the nearest doorway and worked over his story options for this. Of all the times for a thief to hit, this was one of the worst.

One of the guards shouted something as he rounded the corner, rushing over. The large Wild Dog towered above Jake as he approached, rifle in hand.

"Halt!" he barked in Heraki, but didn't aim the gun at Jake.

"Is that the thief?" Another guard asked in Katian with an accent that was _almost_ impenetrable.

"Yes," he said, hefting her from his shoulder. "And this what she stole," he offered the staff to the guard. "I was walking in the garden when she ran into me," he offered a plausible story. "You don't have to say I brought her in."

The one who'd spoken Katian took the staff, considering what Jake said for a moment, then nodded as the other one took the thief.

"Return to your quarters, quickly," he told him. "We'll see she's dealt with."

"Good," Jake nodded and hurried off towards his quarters, the thief's suit folded into a carefully non-descript looking cloth on his arm.

"Did they buy your story?" Mark asked Jake as he got back to his room, both Agents there waiting for him.

"Well enough at least," he nodded as he moved to put the suit in with his belongings.

"I can take that," Maria added, nodding to the strange suit Jake had folded up under his arm.

"You can have it _after_ I've figured out it's workings," he countered evenly. "A stealth suit is far too useful a tech to go unexplored."

"Fair enough," she nodded. "I assume you didn't tell Queen Tetradyne about it?"

"I didn't talk to her, just a couple of her guards," Jake said as he carefully put the suit away. "I stripped her before I took her and the staff into the house. I don't intend to tell her though, unless she corners me about it. I don't suppose you recognized her?" he glanced at Mark.

"The thief? No, she's not one of ours," Mark said, shaking his head. "I suspect she's with some Omega, probably. That she wanted the Staff is part of what worries me."

"Given the trap she used on the roof, I'd take a hard look at Dr. Viper. Fast-growing vines are his MO," Jake suggested before he sat down on the bed. "The suit, that's more Hard Drive or Dark Kat's thing, though I doubt either of them built it."

"Hard Drive might have stolen it," Maria mused. "Mind if I test something?" She asked Jake, pulling out her gun.

"Depends on what," he eyed the weapon warily.

"I'm aware that some groups have been testing a fabric that warps light when you pass a current through it. I'm wondering if this is a working prototype," she explained.

"Two things," Jake shook his head. "One, except for the staff and that trap, I got everything she had on her. If that's how it works, the power supply will be part of the suit and I'll find it. Two, he already shot it a few minutes ago and shorted it out for a while at least."

"That's fine, I just thought we might figure it out sooner," she nodded, putting her gun away.

"I might have overloaded the power supply, if that's how it works," Mark said. "If I did, sorry about that."

"I can fix it," Jake chuckled. "If that's all that's wrong with it. Why don't you go back to bed? I'm sure breakfast will be the earliest anyone will talk about this to us."

"Fair enough," Mark nodded, stripping off his shirt and showing off a very fit chest. "And he's got a point. C'mon, Maria, let's catch up on our sleep for now. And make sure we can prove we didn't have anything to do with this."

"I hope she doesn't even ask you to," Jake said as they left. He stood to lock the door between their quarters and returned to his bed to examine his new toy more closely until his adrenaline wore off enough to catch a couple hours of sleep.


	54. Being Grounded

"Well, I finally did it," Mayrie called out as she stepped into the apartment with a bag of groceries in hand. "How are the kits behaving tonight?" She asked as Chance came out to give her a kiss and take the bags.

"They're _reasonably_ quiet, but I'm glad you're here," he smiled. "Come on, they'll be glad to see you, and have something other than a bottle."

"I'm sure," she nuzzled him before they put the groceries away, stealing touches as they moved. "Where's Jake?"

"In the workout room, which now has a locking door," Chance said. "He's no more interested in the kits, but he's helped changed them a few times."

"Well, that's something," she smiled. "I'm just glad you two are handling it pretty well," she giggled. "Most toms take a while to adjust to that sort of thing."

"I didn't say we'd adjusted to it," Chance snickered. "But we don't have much choice. Ryan's been a lifesaver too, obviously. She left just a few minutes ago."

"I'm sure that Jake doesn't need much sleep helps too," she teased him. "How are the ribs doing?" she asked as they walked to the nursery that had been finished in literally one day after Cameron had come home thanks to Jake's checkbook.

"Still sore," he admitted, picking up Cassandra, scratching her head with a smile before passing her over to Mayrie, smiling at his daughter's happy coo as he picked up Cameron. "But I'm just glad things have started quieting down."

"But healing well, according to the doctors?" she asked as she exposed a breast already heavy with milk and helped the newborn suckle.

"Faster than they expected, as usual," Chance chuckled. "They've still got me on light duty, which is irritating as anything, but I'm dealing with it. I can still go up in the new fighters, at least - one of the advantages of the technology they use."

"At least you have that," she kissed him and cooed at his son while Cassandra greedily suckled. "I'm sure it's helped you behave. How _is_ Jake doing with the enforced down time?"

Chance couldn't help but laugh. "I think he's enjoying it too much. Spends a lot of time in the hanger. He's starting to rebuild the TurboKat, which is a good thing."

Mayrie cocked an eyebrow at him.

"That jet was his baby, his pride and showcase of his skills for more than twenty years," he tried to explain. "He doesn't care about many material things, but leaving that jet on the moon was very much like leaving a teammate behind, knowing they'd be captured and die for him."

"That's... not _healthy_ ," she observed. "Not for a thing."

"When you sink that much of your life into something, it's not that wrong," Chance countered. "He put every spare moment of his adult life into that jet. I don't expect you to understand it, but what he did to that jet is as close to giving birth as a guy can get."

"I suppose," she murmured, shaking her head slightly. "It still seems a bit obsessive, but I suppose I can't understand it any better than he can understand being a parent, right now. He's rebuilding it then... do you know how well he's doing?"

"Besides twenty years behind, okay, I guess. It'll be years before he's got anything fit to fly like it again, though," he said quietly. "I'll miss that bird too, even if it isn't the only one that can go into space anymore."

"Well, he'll have the chance to put all those new toys into it," she smiled, trading Cassandra for Cameron when the girl was done nursing.

"True," he nodded, still utterly entranced by his kits and relieved beyond measure that he had both of them.

"Hay Mayrie," Jake greeted her from the nursery doorway. "They nursing well?"

"Yes," she turned to smile at him, and took in a side that even she hadn't seen before; utterly relaxed at home. He was wearing only loose shorts and a small towel draped over his shoulder, his fur soaked with sweat and he looked happier than she was used to. "You're in a good mood."

"That's just the workout," Jake chuckled. "And I'm claiming the master bath for a while."

"Well, unless something comes up, it's yours," Mayrie smiled as he walked off. "How are your expansion plans going?"

"Pretty well," Chance said, putting Cassandra down in the crib. "Jake's pocketbook and contacts can do wonders for convincing folks to sell out. Both condos agreed to sell, we're just waiting for them to find a new place to live. You can probably get moved in in a couple months, maybe three, depending on how much remodeling you need done, and how fast you need to move."

"Shouldn't be much remodeling," Mayrie reassured him. "I really do have to thank you both for this. Even if I am taking care of the kits, it's more than most guys would do, especially since you've got Ryan available."

"You're my girlfriend too," Chance tipped her face up for a tender kiss. "Probably more at some point, and you're going to be their mother. Remember, we were going to do this even if I hadn't had kits on the way, it just would have been a bit longer. Jake likes you, I do love you, and as Jake put it, _he_ needs me to have a second mate."

"I understand," she purred, kissing him back. "It just seems a little faster than you'd normally like," she admitted, making sure both kits were tucked in after they'd finished eating.

"It is," he admitted. "Just like I'm a father a good bit younger than I wanted. It's still a good idea. So, umm, besides May, do the others know Jake prefers guys?"

"I think Mitch suspects it, but he's not saying so out loud. Carrie doesn't have a clue, and isn't entirely sure why it should matter... she's been doing pretty well avoiding Tom's crap," she smiled slightly. "Mitch has been mellowing pretty well too, since he started going to the new church... thank you for taking him there."

Chance tipped her face up for a tender kiss. "Thank _you_ for letting me. Sometimes all that's needed is an accepting authority figure. Mmm," he kissed her again and ran his hands down her body. "Why don't we practice making more kittens?"

"Mmm ... never going to complain about that," she purred deeply, kissing him back and wrapping her arms around him. "Let's go, they're a little too young for us to not make your bedroom," she teased, licking Chance's nose before slipping free and hurrying from the room.

Chance caught her just inside the door and pulled her close. He slid his hands under her shirt and felt her warmth, her growing arousal heavy in his nose.

"Mmm ... so, what do you want to do with me?" She purred, pressing back against him, running her hands back to grip his ass. "As if I didn't know," she giggled.

"Something a little different that usual," he rumbled as he slid her shirt up. "My ribs and arm aren't up for the usual," he kissed his way down her neck as her shirt was dropped to the floor. "You get to do the moving this time."

"All right," she purred, turning around in his arms, reaching back to take off her nursing bra. "I think I'm game for that," she smiled, toeing her shoes off. "Maybe start with an appetizer?"

"You know what I like," Chance rumbled, cupping and fondling her full breasts and kissing his way down her neck and along her shoulder as he slid his hands down to unbutton her jeans, his fingers teasing her as he slowly eased them down.

"I do," she purred, turning to press him back to the bed, unbuckling his belt and pulling it loose, kissing him hungrily as she worked on his pants, kicking her own jeans the rest of the way off.

"Ohh, baby," Chance groaned deeply as she nuzzled his groin while he pulled his shirt and t-shirt off. "Love you, Mayrie," he reached down to caress her ears.

"Love you too," she purred up at him, licking his sheath and shaft as he stiffened, fondling his balls as she took him into her mouth, swirling her tongue around his tip.

He moaned and relaxed back, letting his head drift to the side as he stroked her soft hair and gave himself to her attentions and the pleasure without reservation as his cock hardened quickly in her mouth.

She grinned around his hard cock, working him with her tongue. She pressed a finger back, teasing his ass, stretching it a little bit as she tested to see if tonight was a good night for it.

"Oh yeah," he moaned deeply as his body welcomed her finger in. "Dildos are in the second drawer. Other stuff too," he offered as he lifted his arms, inviting her to restrain him.

"In a bit," she crooned, licking his tip as she crooked her finger to massage his prostate. "Mmm ... never had a boyfriend who let me do this before," she grinned up at him before swallowing his throbbing cock again.

"Most toms don't realize what they're missing," he panted, holding back just a bit to make her work for it.

She started purring around him, taking him deep into her vibrating throat as she pressed harder against his prostate, working it with what skill she had, and plenty of enthusiasm. It didn't take her long to push him over the edge and she tried her best to swallow his seed, but it wasn't long before the volume was too much and it began to dribble from her mouth.

She licked him clean when he was finished, licking her lips clean of _most_ of his seed before she pulled off and moved up to kiss him.

"Mmm ... you've been saving up," she teased him playfully, licking his lips.

"I've been injured," he chuckled loopily at her and wrapped his arms around her to bring her down for another kiss. "I'm going to be one horny tom when these ribs heal."

"As if you aren't already," she teased as she reached over to open the nightstand and see what was in it. It wasn't as varied as her dildo collection, but the leather and bondage went far beyond hers. "How much is yours, for you?" she asked as she contemplated the options.

"Most of it," he grinned at her. "The stuff for use on Jake's in his room."

"Well then, let's see how you like being on the bottom" she teased, pulling a black plastic strap-on harness out of the drawer. She selected two of the dildos out of it too, a mid-sized canine one and a fairly normal one that she thought would have a good curve inside him. She slid the canine one into her slick sex with a low moan, posing so Chance could watch it sink inside of her, and as she worked the knot around until it slid in. She hooked the harness onto the base, fastening it before she put the other one on the outside, then pulled a bottle of lube and a pair of leather cuffs out of the drawer.

"Hands above your head," she purred. "You prefer it face to face, or on your hands and knees?"

"My ribs and arm won't take being on hands and knees," he told her as he lifted his arms to be cuffed to the headboard.

"Wasn't sure how sore they were yet," she smiled, leaning over him to cuff his hands, her full breasts dangling temptingly over his face as the dildo rubbed against his cock.

"Such a tease," he grinned up at her, stretching despite the discomfort to nuzzle her breasts, full of milk for his kits.

"And you love me for it," she teased, sliding back down, kissing him as she reached down to spread some lube on the dildo. "Mmm ... let me know if I'm doing something wrong, okay?"

"I will," Chance promised as he relaxed his body, lifted his knees and spread his legs for her. "I will need a bit more stretching than you do," he added. "I don't get to do this often."

"No problem," she grinned, lubing her fingers up and pressing one up into his ass - only to have a loud boom rattle the room at about one knuckle in.

"What was that?" She asked, twisting her head toward the window, her fur fluffed, her finger still partly inside him.

"Something I should be in," he growled in frustration and was out of the cuffs in a heartbeat, his mind completely off sex. "Sara!" he barked at the ceiling even as he began to get dressed.

"The perp has been IDed as Hard Drive. He has stolen a prototype fighter from Pumadyne. You have not been called in," a female voice responded promply.

"Who? What?" Mayrie freaked out a little further.

"House computer," Chance half-lied a little too easily. "One of Jake's creations."

"Where is he going? I need to know if the kits are in any danger," Mayrie said, grabbing her own clothes, taking off the harness and tossing it onto the bed.

"The battle has already passed your neighborhood without damage," Sara said even as Jake stuck his head into the room. One glance and it was obvious that he hadn't bothered to really dry off, much less brush himself out.

"We are not going out," Jake warned his partner. "You know you're still grounded for combat."

"There's got to be _something_ we can do," Chance growled. "The jets we're flying now won't stress my ribs at all, as long as we don't get hit. Or did Hard Drive get his hands on one of _those_?"

"No," Jake shook his head and stepped up to kiss him gently. "He got a regular advanced fighter, not one of mine. Let the duty units do their job. It won't be yours much longer anyway. Might as well get used to letting attacks slide by."

"Still doesn't feel -" Chance was interrupted by the sound of the kits crying.

"They woke up from the noise, probably," Mayrie sighed. "I'll go take care of them."

"Let me tell you, I could just about tear Hard Drive a new one for his timing," Chance grumbled. "This doesn't feel right."

"I know, buddy," Jake said gently as he watched Chance get dressed. "It'll never feel right, but it's going to be part of our lives soon."

"Think we should call the kits and let them know everybody's okay out here? May might be a little worried," Chance offered as he buttoned up his shirt.

"If the school will let us," he nodded. "I'm not sure how that works. I'm sure Mayrie could though."

"When she's back," Chance nodded. "I'm not so sure how it works either," he admitted. "At least they ought to be willing to take down the message that their mother's fine, and not anywhere near the trouble zone anymore," he said, picking up the phone and dialing the school, waiting to get through the queue of other people who were probably doing the same thing he was.

"You know, this might take Hard Drive out of circulation for when the invasion hits," he offered, listening to the endless repeat of the message that the school had not been hit and no one was injured.

"One can hope," Jake nodded.

"Silversong Middle School," the receptionist's voice greeted him. "Who are you calling for?"

"May and Mitch Furlong," Chance answered. "Just wanted to let them know that their mother, Chance, and Jake are all fine, if they ask. The fight just rattled our walls, so if they hear from the news, they might worry."

"Thank you," she said before hanging up.

"Do you want the news and channels open?" Sara asked politely.

"Yes," Jake nodded. "Might as well know what's going on."

"How are the kits doing?" Chance asked when Mayrie came out, still scratching Connor's head.

"Cassandra didn't even wake up until he cried; she's back asleep now," she told him. "Connor still seems a little upset, so I thought I'd bring him out."

"The middle school knows we're okay if any of your kits ask," Chance told her. "Just got off the phone, and I'm about to call Carrie's," he explained, dialing the next number and waiting for the next string to get through.

"How about some warm milk to help settle _my_ nerves," she chuckled, rocking Connor lightly. "Maybe we can pick up where we left off later," she offered with a smile as she went to sit down.

"With cinnamon and rum?" Jake suggested with a winning smile as he walked out of the bedroom with her, angling for the kitchen. "I think we can all use a hit."

"Mmm... not _too_ much rum, but it sounds delicious," she smiled. "How can you two be so calm with this going on?"

"Who says we're calm?" Chance asked after he'd left the message. "I just know you two won't let me do anything about it."

"A lot of experience," Jake chuckled. "I'm kinda relieved not to be up there today," he admitted as he heated the milk on the stove, mixing in the cinnamon and just a dash of rum. "It's nice to have a break sometimes."

"There is that," Chance admitted, grabbing glasses for all three of them. "At least I'll be able to run my classes again soon. Start working on the second wave of pilots."

"How many of this group are staying with us until the war?" Jake asked, pouring each of them a glass and adding extra rum to two of them.

"Only the locals this time," Chance explained. "After the change in the human's strategy, they decided that the next wave of pilots should be sent back home afterward. That was when they asked you and the others to step up production on the jets. They're hoping to ship some of them out of country so everybody's got a small defense force in the region."

"I'm amazed that got through, but it's statically for the best," Jake nodded and sat down with Mayrie in the living room where the TV was playing Anne Gora's special report on the battle. "Probably politically good, since most of my crew can make a fighter solo, so it's not like the Raven, where the secrets are all in-country."

"Councilor Steele allowed something like that?" Mayrie asked with a frown.

"Oh, he and his buddies didn't like the idea at all," Chance smirked. "But this is a war matter. Feral's the Commander, which means he can override the Council when it comes to military decisions. As long as things don't go horribly bad because of it, they won't have a real leg to stand on. Looks like Hard Drive's going down... question is if they can _catch_ him this time."

"Not that he ever stays caught for long," Jake grumbled. "I lost count of how many times that surge coat went missing from Evidence."

"Two less than the Metallikats yet," Chance offered. "Maybe this time we'll talk them into breaking the damn thing - what the -" As the camera traced Hard Drive's attempt to jump into the powerlines, his bolt was diverted off into a nearby building. Anne turned, rushing for the door of the building along with her camerakat, even as the Enforcers moved to try and get in themselves.

"All you have to do is get me in there for ninety seconds unobserved," Jake winked at him. "For either problem."

"I've already got one black mark on my record, Jake," Chance chuckled. "I really don't want to explain to Feral why I've gone and earned another one."

"Insubordination?" Mayrie joked.

"Psh, if you counted _those_ , my record would be a solid mass," Chance snorted. "Nah, it has to do with when I was a cop ... long story you probably don't want to hear."

"Suffice to say, it's why he's a pilot," Jake smiled at his partner. "So it wasn't all bad."

"Nope," Chance smiled, leaning over to give Jake a light nuzzle. "We met because of it too, so that's another good thing."

"Agreed," Mayrie smiled at the affection. If still felt weird to look at, but she had no reservations about saying they were good for each other, even after this little time watching them.

"This is Anne Gora, with one of the strangest things we've ever seen," the TV announced. "Hard Drive has been captured, but not by the Enforcers. After being diverted into an abandoned apartment, an unknown person captured him, leaving him tied up for the Enforcers without his trademark Surge Suit. Nobody knows where his captor is, though he is presumed to be in possession of the Surge Suit." The camera showed Hard Drive, who was not only tied up, but practically naked except for his briefs.

"Any thoughts on how they made him come out of the wires?" Chance asked Jake. "You know we'll have to look into it some time."

"Half a dozen," Jake frowned, a little too tense for Chance's taste. "All of them require someone at my level of technical talent or above to pull off. Damn, I was finally going to get my hands on that thing this time."

"Okay, how seriously bad _is_ this, and do you think it could've just been a standard double-cross instead of Hard Drive the Second on the way," Chance asked him more seriously.

"It depends entirely on who's got it," Jake sighed. "If it's a vigilante who just thinks we can't be trusted to keep them safe, then it's not bad at all. If it's someone intending to use it, we are in for a world of hurt eventually."

"Honestly, I can't really blame him if he's thinking that," Chance admitted. "I just hope that's the case. Vigilantes I don't mind, as long as they stick to tying people up."

"Same here," Jake agreed. "It's not like we have that great a track record with keeping Omega equipment, or Omegas."

"Should a couple of Enforcers really be talking like this?" Mayrie asked them.

"With the press? No. With ourselves? You'd be surprised how many of them would agree with us. As long as it's not judge, jury, and executioner, leaving them tied up for us to collect is no big deal, and helps us out. It's when they start leaving bodies behind and causing collateral damage that it's getting out of control."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she murmured, rocking Connor to sleep.

"You should hear him talk about the aerospace industry," Chance teased his partner. "Between a mom in MASA and what he did, it's a POV you don't hear on the outside."

"How much of it would be in a language I can understand?" She giggled. "That's the real question. You want to hold him for a bit?" She asked Chance once Connor was resting again.

"Sure," Chance smiled, taking his son gently, trying not to wake him again.

"That is honestly not something I ever expected I'd see," Jake smiled slightly at his partner. "I shouldn't be surprised, but fatherhood like this isn't something I expected you to take to so well."

"What choice did I have?" Chance asked him. "I couldn't very well leave them with Turmoil. Besides... I did _want_ kits, eventually. Maybe not by her, but... well, what else could I do?"

"Not that you'd take them in, that you'd take to being a father so well," Jake shook his head. "Responsible adult is not a phrase I usually think of you as."

"Just imagine what our wingmates would think," he chuckled. "But I know what you mean. But the parts that having kits get in the way of most are things I'm already trying to give up," he pointed out. "I can still play around."

Mayrie shot him a deadly look.

"My video games, watch cartoons and bad movies, fly for fun, go out for a guy's night with Jake and the gang," he explained. "I know I'm not sleeping around anymore."

"Okay," she nodded, relaxing.

"Jake, there is a ... Mouse ... on the balcony," Sara's tone was more bewildered than anything. "He's knocking."

"Solid black?" Jake perked up sharply.

"Yes," she said.

"I'll let him in," he stood to get the sliding glass door.

"You don't think it's him, do you?" Chance asked, passing Connor back to Mayrie.

"What other black Mice could you expect?" Jake pointed out, his manner serious enough to put Mayrie on edge.

"Why would you have a mouse knocking on your - sweet Bastet!" Mayrie exclaimed when she looked over and saw Jake opening the door to reveal Rico, dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt on the other side.

"Remember that trip to the future?" Chance asked. "His race made a difference in the war, and he was their first contact with Kats."

"You're early," Jake said as he stepped side to let the lithely muscled black Martian Mouse in.

"You called me out," Rico said. "The delay was in investigating your claims. They proved true, so I am here."

"What _is_ he?" Mayrie asked.

"Friendly," Chance said pointedly. "You don't have to worry about anything, Mayrie, it's under control. If you want to go put Connor back to bed, it'll be fine."

"O-okay," she nodded slightly, standing and leaving the room, keeping an eye on the obvious alien.

"Sorry about that, but I imagine you've heard of people with worse reactions than that," Chance admitted.

"That and much worse," Rico nodded easily. "This isn't the first world we have a history of visiting. Now, I understand you visited an alternate future," he said as he sat down. "Do your superiors know about us?"

"They know that you were there in the future," Chance nodded. "We told them that you'd come out as allies to us after the war, and that we didn't know where to find you in the current time. Our efforts are all unofficial," he added.

"I'm not surprised," Rico said. "We got the feeling that you weren't the patient, let it happen type," he chuckled. "Either of you. Now there is not the political situation for us to be public that we exist, but we are willing to coordinate war plans to an extent."

"So you'd like us to take you to our leaders?" Chance quipped. "They've got most of the planning, after all."

"That would involve more politics than I'd like, but I will speak to Commander Feral if it is needed," Rico told them. "We would prefer if it was not an official alliance, as that would require our leaders to meet with your leaders."

"Fair enough," Chance nodded. "So, what's the plan on your end of things? We're still trying to figure out a way to bust up the gate they've got on the moon."

"Unless they've built a third one, we did that two hand of days ago," Rico told them with a motion of his five-fingered hand.

"A week and two days," Jake supplied without even thinking. "I wonder why we didn't pick it up."

"It is on the dark side," Rico offered. "If you weren't looking, it would be easy to miss."

"And we've been grounded and in prep that whole time," Chance nodded slightly. "How'd you manage it? Sent the Lumari up?"

"Basically," he nodded. "Killed everything inside and set off the self-destruct mechanism. Like when you destroyed the first base, it might not stop them, but it should delay them and give us that much more of an edge. We are searching the rest of the system for more of them, but it's not a quick process if they don't want to be found."

"Okay, question from the guy who doesn't know squat about the solar system - where else _could_ they be hiding?" Chance asked him. "We've got other planets, but I thought most of them didn't have _ground_."

"Most of them do, actually," Jake said. "Only the three gas giants aren't solid, plus there are a hundred and nine moons that we know about, and two asteroid belts. They might even have the tech to hide within the gas giants."

"It's a huge expanse," Rico said, keeping quiet on exactly how they were looking. "Especially since we have only been here a couple generations. We don't have understanding of this place that we did of our homeworld."

"Well, I suppose it's good to know they have a hard time doing _something_ , even if it is beyond everybody else, "Chance nodded, not happy that he knew Rico was holding information back. "By the way, you might want to _not_ expose Mayrie to a lumari any time soon."

"We would rather not expose anyone to one for many more years," Rico promised. "Do you think she would be agreeable to a luprani?"

"As long as she met them in the right way," Chance thought after a minute. "They're cute enough she could probably get past the initial worry. I imagine it'd be a while before that can happen though."

"I am keeping details," Rico told him flat out. "Just as you would in my place. Our people do not have a stable alliance yet.'

"I was trying not to say anything," Chance offered. "It's tough to remember this is the first time we've met."

"I do understand," Rico inclined his head. "I do not normally read others quite so much, but there is a great deal at stake here."

Jake glanced at Chance, wanting to offer something but utterly unable to push himself to.

"It would help convince the Alphas," Rico added, looking between the pair.

"Just... promise not to judge too much," Chance sighed. "Not sure just what you _can_ get out of a guy's head."

"Anything you remember, and a significant amount you have experienced but don't consciously remember," Rico told him. "Did you mind share when you met us in the future?"

"No," he shook his head. "Just senses with Carbin."

"I imagine that was an intense night," Rico chuckled. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Nice to know," Chance murmured.

"You've seen me at work, then," Rico said. "This is quite different. An open mind is painless to scan," he promised and leaned over to touch his antennae to Chance's head.

The tabby felt a light charge, a tingle, rush through his body, then there was just a whisper of a voice that wasn't his own inside his head telling him he was doing fine.

He tried to keep relaxed, though he was sure that some parts of his mind were still going to be closed off when Rico got to them. They were things that _he_ didn't think about that often, if he could help it... with a little luck, the Mouse wouldn't need to look that deep, but he wasn't sure.

He felt it, a resonance inside his skull, when Rico found one and 'knocked' at the reflexive resistance. Before Chance could even try to explain, he 'heard' Rico's voice inside his mind, telling him it was all right. The Mouse poked around the edge of that section of memories and backed off to check something else, seemingly satisfied with whatever he had learned.

Chance stopped counting at about a dozen rounds of this, grateful he didn't get more than the briefest reminder of whatever event had drawn Rico's attention before the Mouse moved on.

"Thank you," Rico said as he pulled away. "You asked me not to judge you, but what I've seen tells me you are a good, honest person who's spent most of their life at war of one kind or another."

"Thanks," Chance nodded. "I've done some rotten things in the past though. Worked with people doing things I just didn't recognize at the time."

"Most lifelong warriors have," Rico told him. "Regret for those rotten things is one of the best indicators of the quality of the person."

"How ... long did it take?" He asked, glancing over at Jake, knowing he'd be the only one who really knew the time.

"A bit shy of three minutes," the lean tom chuckled.

"It always feels like it was much longer," Rico said. "And like you've just run a triathlon."

"That's about right," Chance sighed, taking a deep breath and leaning back. "Glad it didn't really bother you, looking around. You got what you needed then?" He asked, hoping to confirm it again.

"Yes," Rico nodded, taking a deep breath and relaxing himself. "And just so you know, I didn't look at many details of those bad spots. I just looked at the basic content, the age, and let it be, but if you have nightmares or flashbacks in the next few days, I am very sorry. I've never had it happen when I looked, but it's a known possibility with a mid-level probe."

"If I do, it's possible it was just time for it to happen," Chance said, shaking his head. "I keep 'em under wraps for a reason, but I know what's in all of those places... I just don't think about it, or talk about it often."

"Is everything okay?" Mayrie asked from the kits' room.

"Yes, hon," Chance called back to her.

"Why are you unwilling to let me in?" Rico turned his attention to Jake.

"Simply put, because I don't trust your leaders that much," he answered honestly, raising an eyebrow. "Chance knows tactics, but I know what we'll be able to build for the next couple generations. That's info I can't trust you to leave be."

"He's also paranoid with _everybody_ ," Chance offered. "It's not you, and it's not really your leaders. I've never seen him let his defenses down like that with anybody, except _maybe_ me."

"It's part of the package," Jake chuckled weakly. "Most folks in my class are paranoid, but not that many have my background to add to it."

"Meaning few of them have been katnapped, much less repeatedly," Chance added.

"Attempted, most of the time," Jake countered. "My security is what it is because it works."

"You really do attract all the weirdness," Rico couldn't help but shake his head as he laughed.

"Maybe we could back off this particular topic?" Chance suggested, glancing at Mayrie just before the door to the kits' room closed. "She already knows she's going to be in for a strange life with us, but... well, it's not necessarily this level of strangeness."

"And that it'll be much more normal when we retire," Jake said softly.

"Yes," Rico said agreeably. "We know that the loss of the base we destroyed will not stop them, but the details are sketchy. Some thought it would be large spaceships, others that there is another base they can teleport threw. Most did not think our attack will make much of a difference, so we believe that the main force was well on it's way before we attacked, and possibly before your first attack."

"Unfortunately, with the tech we've seen it could be any of a number of things," Chance agreed. "If they've got gates like those handy, I imagine the only thing holding them back is the energy it'd take to move something through it, and we've still got no real idea what the top speed they can go normally is, right?" He asked, glancing over at Jake.

"Because of how it moves, the airframe doesn't have a top limit," Jake told them. "It's all a matter of the relation of power to cubic feet. A capitol ship would take incredible power to move, but it's also in the size range where the power it could generate becomes exponentially greater than what is needed with each increase in size."

"In other words, there may not be a limit, if they dedicate enough space to power generation," Rico winced.

"Exactly," Jake nodded. "And almost all that power can be transferred to weapons and shields when it's not trying to move quickly."

"Though they didn't seem too quick to do it when we fought them. That's something," Chance offered. "It might be hard for them to switch power like that, otherwise I don't see how we'd have taken them out."

"It might. Fighters, like the shuttle, have a relatively limited power supply until you get into anti-matter," Jake shook his head. "The power core is advanced for us, but not _that_ advanced. A large capitol starship, though, that could have the power and systems to go incredibly fast, then switch over when they are within the solar system. Any idea where they're coming from, how far 'home' is for them?" he looked at Rico.

"If they're coming from the Earth that our planet was next to, then it's a very long way. We had something of a cheat when we made the trip, one they can't take advantage of. They might be coming from a different outpost though; when we left Mars, they weren't near this sort of tech yet."

"Were the creatures that destroyed your world?" Jake asked.

"Not like this," Rico shook his head. "They had advanced FTL spaceships, but they worked on different technology from what I've seen."

"Are you sure _you're_ in the same universe you started out in?" Chance asked him. "I mean... it sounds like it might be a different one, from some things, especially what you know about the humans."

"With how long we've been on Aristal, they could have done this," Rico said with certainty. "They went from horses to space in less time, and if they did beat off the Plutarkians, they're a bad ass race."

"And it would probably give them a major tech boost," Chance nodded slightly. "Kinda like the first time we fought with Lothos. They went from swords and armor to mechanized infantry that kicked us off their continent within a decade. So... how do you want to try and help with strategy, given you don't really want to meet our leaders?"

"Mostly it's an offer to time and place some of our strikes in a way that leaves them much weaker for you," he said. "And if you get into deep trouble, we'll make strikes to help you out. Less of an alliance as an understanding that we're fighting a common enemy."

"How much will you need for details?" Chance asked him. "I understand what you mean, but... well, without anything formal, there are security clearance rules that will complicate things. _I_ don't mind so much, but it could end up being an issue in the future."

"If it's something resembling a plan, we can just chat about life and nothing as long as you don't hide the idea," Rico chuckled. "If it's for help," he tossed Chance a small cell phone like device. "Just call. There are no promises it'll arrive in time, and you definitely won't see it, but we'll try."

"Well, if we don't talk about it, it's not breaking the rules," Chance chuckled. "Bet politicians really don't like you guys."

"Yours at least," Rico quirked a grin. "For us, this is normal inter-pack politics."

"Yeah, but they know you can do it," Chance smirked. "Ours, they'll probably panic when they first find out... do you guys prefer telling them up front, or later on?"

"Let us bring it up," he said a bit diplomatically. "Some people are better off not knowing, and it's easy for us to tell."

"Understood," Chance nodded. "We _should_ tell the Commander that you're on our side, and that you've made contact, at least. If anybody _does_ see you, we don't want them trying to shoot the wrong aliens."

One look and he knew that Rico was anything but thrilled by the idea.

"If it is truly necessary," he relented. "It will not make my Alphas happy. It was trouble enough convincing some of them to let me make contact. To have our existence official, even in a limited way, will make them very edgy."

"You aren't offering to help Aristal, you're offering to help _us_ ," Jake said rather abruptly.

"Yes," Rico nodded evenly.

"Okay... why us, then?" Chance asked him, his tone not judging the idea, more trying to figure out what it was in particular. "I'm sure there've been plenty of other people you've been keeping an eye on who've gotten into scrapes."

"Yes, there are," Rico nodded easily. "But none of them came looking for us, broadcasting that they knew we were there and facts that we could confirm, along with how you knew this information and what was coming."

"Yeah, that was Jake's idea," Chance nodded. "Hope we didn't freak you guys out too badly on the flyovers."

"It caused quite a stir, but not because a craft was overhead," Rico chuckled. "This world isn't strong in the psychic realm. There was a lot of surprise that anyone would try to announce themselves our way. It did what you wanted though."

"It did do that," Chance nodded. "How should we let you know when it's a good time to come back to talk things over? Call on the cell?"

"I'll know," Rico told him as he stood to leave. "Only use the phone for an emergency."

"One question," Jake looked up.

"A hood and a subtle 'don't look at me' projection," Rico winked at him. "Every so often someone gives me a second glance, but it's rare."

"Just gotta watch out for some girl who thinks the muzzle means you're somebody she should hit on," Chance snickered, getting up to get the balcony door. "Thanks for dropping by."

"Only you would think of that variant of the problem," Rico laughed easily along with Jake. "I do hope this works out as well as it did in the future you visited," he said honestly before he leapt up on the wrought-iron railing, and then swung up and out of sight towards the roof.

"He _obviously_ hasn't heard what some people think about guys with long muzzles," Chance snickered, closing the balcony. "He's gone, Mayrie," he called out. "Want to try and get back in the mood?" He offered, rubbing her shoulders when she cautiously came out.

"I don't think I can," she shuddered even as she began to relax.

"He's not a threat," Jake told her with a bit of a frown. "He's not even ugly."

"I know, it's just... aliens aren't good news," she pointed out. "They _never_ are."

"Hon, that's just because you only watch the news," Chance kissed her forehead. "We've met good aliens, sometimes they even help us out. I'm sure you heard that we met him in the future. They weren't aliens anymore then, they were citizens."

"I know, it's just... it's still hard to think about it, when I _see_ it. Especially with what you told me about what they can do. It just sets everything off, especially with the kits in the other room."

"If I describe _Jake_ , you'd be terrified of him too," he chuckled gently. "They're nice folk, honest. Yes, they can be dangerous, but so is everyone I work with."

"And I know they look like food, but they aren't good hunting," Jake added a bit teasingly.

"Given a good number of them could eat _me_ , I imagine not," she said dryly. "Why don't I start making lunch? Maybe I'll be back in the mood later," she said, giving Chance a light kiss on the cheek.

"That sounds good," Jake said as he walked by his partner. "Twenty minutes?"

"Sounds right," she nodded with a curious look.

"I have a shower to finish," he winked at her.


	55. ILM

"Thanks for coming along with us," Chance smiled, leaning over to kiss Mayrie on the cheek as they pulled up in front of the hotel. "And for being willing to spend the weekend with us."

"I'm still a little surprised you'd _want_ me to come to something like this," she admitted.

"It's not all sex and gay flirting," Jake chuckled. "Besides, the tabby wants to show off for both of us."

"You make me sound so shallow," Chance pouted, climbing out of the car and getting his bags, loading them onto a waiting cart.

"It's only because you are," Mayrie teased back, climbing out to help him. "Are you sure you have everything?"

"As sure as I was when we left," Chance said dryly.

"It's not like it's being held in Xenquii or Imitia," Jake laughed as they finished unpacking his SUV. "The condo's just across town."

"Yes, but if we have to run back, we'll have to field questions from the kits about why we want to leave them alone again," Mayrie giggled as Jake handed his keys off to the valet.  "Mitch seems to get the point, I don't want to _know_ how much May gets it, but Carrie's still not so sure."

"I can field questions if I need to," Jake chuckled and walked ahead to check in.

"Besides the pageant, did you have any other plans?" Mayrie asked Chance as they walked more slowly with the luggage rack.

"Well, there's Jake's surprise, some of the panels probably... I want to get _you_ to some of the Leather 101 shops, and to the vendor's room," the tabby grinned. "Really, there's no better place to find a good fit, and I can think of several good looks for you," he winked.

"And you," she purred deeply in reply. "And him," she nodded slightly towards Jake where he was having an easy conversation at the check-in counter. "What will you do, during the pageant?"

"Mostly posing... you ever watch a bodybuilder's contest? Kinda like that, with fewer weights."

"So no talent show or series of outfits like a beauty pageant?" she asked. "What are you judged on?"

"There are different outfits - I've got most of those packed up - but it's mostly about looking good in your various outfits... there's a closed interview I'll have to get to tomorrow, that won't take long. There's the opening ceremonies tomorrow night, where they show us off a bit. Saturday night we've got the Pecs and Stage Presence contest, then on Sunday we've got the introduction and the pageant for the finalists. If I get in there, I've got a short speech, the Physique runway, and then they'll announce the winners after that. So Sunday's the big day for the contest. The Black and Blue Ball on Monday is optional, so we'll see how we're all feeling after Sunday."

"Have you been to one of these before?" she asked as she noted Jake walking towards them.

"Not really - similar events, but never competing in one. It's held in a different country, or at least different major city, every year," Chance explained. "Once in a while I got to a leather show, but this is a _lot_ bigger." He grinned as he noticed a couple guys eyeing Jake openly. "He'll be reasonably happy here, I think - doesn't have to hide. And there are enough of our coworkers here I don't think anybody's worried about getting outed either," he observed, noticing a couple of guys in uniform and more than a few familiar faces.

"It's hard for him to hide?" she asked quietly.

"Not really hard," Chance chuckled. "But not having to... it's really nice sometimes, especially when you have to be in the closet all the time. I can see a lot of people here already who _never_ look this cheerful at work."

"There's something decidedly wrong with that," Mayrie sighed.

"With what?" Jake asked as he handed each of them a card key.

"How folks have to hide to go to work," Mayrie said, falling in behind the guys as Jake led the way to an elevator.

"Yeah, it sucks," Jake agreed. "And do remember I made the reservations," he added with a slightly amused chuckle. "Or rather Sara did."

"Which means the bathroom is going to be insane," Chance snickered as they found the elevator and got in along with their luggage. "But you're right, it does suck. Hopefully, it's something we'll be able to get changed soon. One advantage of being outted."

"Has anyone treated you differently since it happened?" she asked quietly, all too aware that both of them tended to avoid talking about work at home.

"I haven't seen much, but I've always taken more flack for being clueless than gay," Jake shook his head.

"I've caught a little flack, but most people know better - especially with the rest of the Knights backing me up," Chance reassured her. "They might not agree with it, but none of them are gonna try breaking the two of us up. Actually, you'll be able to talk to Kathie a bit while we're here, she's hosting a few panels."

"Kathie, your wingleader?" she asked.

"Yes, that Kathie," Chance grinned as the elevator stopped.

"Lieutenant Colonel Kathie 'Rumble' Firetail," Jake added. "She's quite the backer. It doesn't hurt to have the Commander on your side either."

"Or his niece," Felina grinned, catching the last few words from the other side of the door as it opened. "Hi there, didn't know you three would be here! I'm starting to wonder if there are _any_ of the top Enforcers on duty."

"Not many, Ma'am," Chance teased her with a grin. "Felina Feral, this is my girlfriend, Mayrie Furlong," he introduced her.

"A pleasure to meet you," Felina smiled, shaking Mayrie's hand. "I understand you've been a good influence on both my boys here."

"I like to think so," she smiled with a slight blush and tried to wrap her mind around the second highest-ranking Enforcer big so ... friendly.

"So what are you coming for?" Jake asked.

"Oh, partly for keeping an eye on things, partly for the beefcake... honestly though, I'm looking forward to hitting the dealer's room once it's open. Maybe I'll see you later on," she smiled, stepping aside to let them all past her.

"If you watch the pageant, you'll get to see him parade about," Jake winked at her as they headed for their room. "It's quite a look."

"I'm sure," Felina smirked. "He's not the only Knight that will be in it either."

"Really?" Chance paused and looked back at her. "I didn't hear about that."

"I understand Kip Durnan is also signed up. He's got the exotic appeal down pat."

"Hadn't heard," Chance chuckled. "You're right, he does."

"This will be a hell of a show," Jake purred deeply. "He's a Wolf-Tiger cross," he added for Mayrie's benefit. "Buff without trying, and he _tries_."

"Very successfully," Chance grinned.  "You'll like his looks, when he shows up, and the stripes suit him nicely."

"Why Chance, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to hook us up," Mayrie winked at him as they walked.

"Nah, just telling you that I have good taste in who falls for me," Jake chuckled.

"If you want to, let me know, though I think he's only got eyes for Jake right now," Chance chuckled. "Has a definite crush on him, from what I can figure out - I think it's mostly hero worship. He's a damn good mechanic, but Jake's another level entirely."

"He's underpaid and underutilized for his talent," Jake said. "I'm not saying I'm not at another level, but Kip's got the talent and sense to be far more than just a mechanic."

"I'm not interested in sleeping around," Mayrie said evenly, pausing for Jake to open the door to their suite. "How much _is_ this place?" she squeaked, taken aback by stepping into an apartment instead of a hotel room.

"I didn't ask," Jake said honestly.

"And I don't think we're going to," Chance murmured, just as stunned.  "This is one of their top suites, isn't it?"

"Most likely," Jake nodded and stepped inside to begin investigating the two bedroom luxury quarters. "She does know my taste."

"Still, _wow_ ," Chance murmured, looking around. "We'll have to watch the mini bar and that sorta thing - I hear they're charging if you even move stuff around these days, even if you put it back."

"Chance," Jake turned to step up to him and gave him a gentle kiss. "I appreciate the thought, but don't stress on it. When was the last time we had a real, week-long vacation together?"

"Yeah, but there are cheaper ways to get soused," Chance chuckled. "At least if we're looking to. Okay?" He smiled, turning to kiss Jake back.

"Okay," he nuzzled the tabby's neck. "Why don't you two unpack, while I do my security thing."

"Just remember not to pull down the walls," Chance teased, taking one of his bags off the cart and looking over at Mayrie with a grin. "Want to see what I brought?" He asked her.

"Definitely," she purred, even though she picked up her own suitcase and began to unpack. "You don't strut for me very often."

"Well, if you asked more often...." Chance trailed off with a grin, setting his bag up and opening it, pulling out a leather vest and a thong. "You ever think about picking up some gear yourself, while you're here?"

"I hadn't," she blinked at him, trying to wrap her mind around the idea of _her_ in leather.

"Oh, I have _got_ to get you to the vendor's room," he grinned wickedly. "You'd look _damn_ hot, especially with the right getup." He started stripping down, putting on the vest and thong in place of his street clothes, smoothing out his fur to best show off his biceps and and powerful muscles in his legs. "So, what do you think?" He asked her, flexing in a way that he knew emphasized the bulges in the thong.

"Love, I don't have that kind of build," she patted her tummy and general roundness. "But you sure do."

"Let him dress you," Jake called from the living/dinning room. "It'll change your mind when you see the way he'll look at you."

"Besides, it doesn't matter if you don't have a model's build," Chance smiled, standing more normally and walking over, running his hands over her tummy. "Trust me. So, you like my outfit?" He purred, nuzzling her neck.

"Very much," she purred deeply, her arousal beginning to creep into her scent as she ran her hands threw the thick golden fur of his broad chest. "But you look hot in jeans and a t-shirt too," she teased before claiming a kiss.

"I look hot in anything - or nothing," he grinned. "So - which one do you want now?" He purred, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck, nipping it lightly. It was such a turn-on to feel her melt and moan in his arms.

"In this, on your back, showoff," she grinned and kissed him with a light push towards the bed.

"Yes ma'am," he grinned, laying back and sliding up onto the bed. "Did you remember to grab the fun bag?" He asked her with a wink.

"Of course I did," she giggled and climbed onto the bed with him. "Sometimes I think you like them more than me," she teased with a pout even as she slid up his body to kiss him. "We're going to play to one of my kinks today."

"Mmm ... yes ma'am," he purred, kissing her back, wrapping his powerful arms around her. "And it's not my fault you're the only one who tops me," he added teasingly, glancing over at Jake through the door and sticking out his tongue.

"You never asked for the names of any doms either," Jake stuck his tongue out in turn before moving on to more of his work.

"Ever done it dressed, hot stuff?" Mayrie purred deeply.

"Not from down here," Chance purred back, sliding his hands around to squeeze her breasts. "Love you, babe," he moaned into her mouth as she shifted to rub her panties against his leather G-string.

"Time to cross it off the list then," she rocked her entire body against his.

Chance groaned lowly, pressing up against her, his sheath bulging, the tight leather trapping him for the moment.

"You still like it like this, hmm?" He asked her. "Like back in school?" He grinned.

"Some things don't change," she chuckled, shifting her hips to put a little more pressure on her clit as he hardened. "Love how you make me feel," she pressed into his hands.

"I do my best," he rumbled hotly, kissing her again, squeezing her nipples as she shifted upright and lifted up on her legs a bit.

With little more than a rumbling purr, she reached between them to pull his thong out of the way, stroking the full, hard length of his cock with long fingers as she leaned forward to kiss him again, pressing her tongue into his mouth.

He pressed his tongue against hers, moaning as his stiffening shaft twitched in her fingers. He slid one hand down, pulling her panties out of the way and squeezing her thigh encouragingly.

Mayrie moaned deeply and slid her fingers under his cock to angle it up, pressing the tip against her sex and sinking down to take him fully into her slick, hot body.

"Fuck," he groaned, thrusting up into her heat. "You are so damn hot, baby," he murmured, leaning up to kiss her as they began to rock in a counter-rhythm where she squeezed down around his shaft as she lifted up and he pulled down.

"You make me hot," she rumbled as she began to pant.

"Born that way," he murmured, leaning down, nibbling at her breasts through her blouse and bra, undoing the buttons as he fought to distract himself enough to make this last a good long time for them both. It was a thrill, having such a dedicated mother for a girlfriend, and have her so willing to do kinky things.

"And like a fine whiskey, only better with age," she purred, pressing into his touch as they mated.

"And best enjoyed... mmm... slowly," he rumbled, kissing her again, his pre leaking into her as his balls began to tighten. "Won't be long," he warned her.

"Since when have you only had one round in you?" Mayrie moaned, her body trembling in his hands. "Getting old?" she teased.

"Careful," he grinned up at her. "I'll prove just how much I've got in me!"

"I think she expects you to," Jake teased from the door as he passed by.

"He's worse than a teenager," Mayrie couldn't help but laugh.

"He's just pretending... mmm... to work," Chance teased back, rolling over on top of her and kissing her, thrusting faster until he roared and pumped her sex full of his thick seed as they kissed.

"How long before he stops pretending?" she asked with a sultry purr.

"We'll have to see, won't we? Though it'll be faster if we make the show good enough he can't ignore it," he winked.

"And what _does_ he like too much to ignore?" she rubbed his back and slid her legs along his.

"Mmm ... I know just the thing," Chance grinned. "You mind if we abuse the headboard a bit?" He asked her teasingly, still thrusting lightly into her.

"Not at all," she moaned and lifted her hands above her head and arched her back invitingly to show off her full breasts.

Chance pulled out of her with a groan, turning for the bag to pull out a set of leather cuffs, strapping her wrists to the headboard and climbing onto the bed, pulling her bra and panties down the rest of the way, making her look almost like she'd been dressing when he'd cuffed her and decided to have his way with her. With a heated kiss, he sank back into her, burying his nose against her neck and inhaling her scent, imagining what she'd be like in heat.

It honestly wasn't that hard, and her moans, whimpers and milking of his cock did nothing to dampen his hunger for her. He closed his mouth around one of her beasts and lavished her nipple with attention, tasting the milk still in them as she arched up further to press into his touch.

"Beg, beautiful," he rumbled quietly as he thrust deeply into her welcoming body. "Beg me to stop, beg me to fuck you harder, beg for your life, but beg."

She obliged him gladly, whimpering and moaning, begging him to fuck her harder, the only thing that came to mind. Before long, she was whimpering for him to fill her, to give her a litter... she wasn't even really aware that Jake was watching them much more closely now, focused instead on the pleasure she was sharing with Chance.

She was panting, blissed out, by the time Chance roared a last time and stilled for a moment. She blinked, and turned her head to look at what he was.

Jake was lounging in the chair, his shirt open and pants unzipped as he stroked himself, his eyes on them and hungry.

"Mmm ... I'd ask if you like the show, but I can see you do," she purred, licking her lips.

"How about him joining?" Chance rumbled hotly.

"What do you two have in mind?" She asked, squeezing down around Chance to encourage him to thrust again.

"A Chance sandwich," he purred. "Or I can suck him off while I work on you."

"Mmm ... how about the sandwich," she purred, kissing him as Chance raised his tail invitingly. "Then I don't have to be the only one who tops you all the time," she teased.

"You could always agree to Kip having him on occasion," Jake winked at her as he climbed onto the bed. "He's quite the dom."

"Please, he's _so_ not my type," Chance purred, kissing Mayrie's neck and curling his tail over Jake's hip.

"Oh?" Jake grinned as he grabbed the lube Chance tossed to him and spread it on his fingers. "What _is_?"

"Right now? I'm between 'em," Chance grinned, slowing his thrusts into Mayrie while he waited for Jake to prep him.

"That's not very fair," Jake groused, stretching his partner's anus gently, all too aware he didn't take it often, and didn't care for pain.

"Mmm ... do you want to hear it too? Or do we outvote him?" Chance asked with a low groan.

"I think we'll outvote you," she giggled. "I'd like to know what _isn't_ in the mix."

"Oh, all right," Chance chuckled, squeezing down around Jake's fingers with a groan. "When I was younger, Kip _would_ have been my speed," he admitted. "Mmm... these days though, I like my guys a bit smaller, usually. Buff is nice to look at, but... mmm... a smaller guy like you topping is _damn_ hot."

"Pity I rarely have a taste for it," Jake chuckled before he pulled his fingers out and pressed the tip of his cock against the tight ring of muscle and slowly pressed forward.

"I think that's... nnngh... why," Chance groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as Jake sank into him, his own shaft pressing deeper into Mayrie's body.

"Always striving for the improbable," Jake shook his head with a groan as he hilted inside his mate.

"Mmm ... I don't complain about topping you," Chance pointed out with a grin, kissing them both before he started to thrust into Mayrie again, relishing in the new pleasure of being with both his mates at the same time.

* * *

"Looks like the natives are getting restless," Chance heard a Wolf growl over by the entrance to the hotel as he, Mayrie, and Jake came out of one of Kathie's panels.

"I should probably go see what's up," Chance murmured, kissing Mayrie's cheek lightly. "Shouldn't take long."

"Why can't you let the on-duty guards deal with it?" she tried to object even as Jake and Chance headed for the entrance with several other off-duty Enforcers.

Ignoring her, Chance continued to the entrance. Outside, they could see what was earning the grumbles. A group of mixed Kats, Kantin, and Xanith were gathered, picketing the hotel, shouting about wanting the 'faggots' out. It was mostly Kats, but that was to be expected.

"Huh, guess they're not _that_ open to the money yet," a tall Tiger wearing a pageant-staff vest observed as he walked up behind the Enforcers. "How strict are they about only holding a protest if you've got a permit in MKC?" He asked, looking between the various Enforcers.

"Very strict," Felina answered with a glare outside. "The Mayor would never accept the loss of revenue."

"You're saying that City Hall wouldn't have approved their permit?" He asked Felina, clearly very interested. "In that case, how would I go about having them dispersed?"

"Odds are, if they paid the fee, they were approved," she shook her head. "If they come onto private property, or they don't have a permit, you could call the cops, or I can make an announcement for all Enforcers attending the con to get into uniform and disperse them," she chuckled lightly. "As long as they stay on city property, there's not much we can do, unless you want to counter-protest."

"So you _do_ follow how we usually handle these guys," the Tiger grinned. "How many people do you think they've got out there... one, maybe five hundred? We've got about ten grand - even if we only get one out of ten to join in...."

"Sir, there are that many _Enforcers_ attending," she laughed deeply. "Do you want me to make the announcement?"

"Higher's always better," he grinned. "Go ahead, I'll go out and have a word with the gentleman running the show outside." True to his word, he walked out, wearing his leather staff vest and a pair of tight leather pants that were perfectly street legal, but surely against the tastes of those protesting.

The Tiger walked to the edge of hotel property, accustomed to the increased fervor his presence caused. The leader was easy to spot after years of practice.

"Do you have a permit?" he asked politely.

"Of course," the Priestess of Bastet said archly, a smug expression on her face. " _We_ respect the city's laws and ways. Nobody is blocking the way in or out of the hotel - if you'll all just leave, this won't have to start getting ugly for you when the press gets here." Several flashes went off in the crowd, taking pictures of the Tiger and anybody in the doorway looking out.

"I was going to recommend the same thing for you," the Tiger smiled charmingly. "We're organizing our own demonstration, and with over ten thousand attendees, we will have the larger group."

"And do _you_ have a permit?" The Priestess challenged him. "We have decency, and the entire city on our side."

"Attention all attendees of the IML," Felina Feral's voice rang out clearly on the loudspeakers across the property as well as inside the hotel. "We are staging a counter-protest at the front of the property. Enforcers and emergency personnel, in uniform if you brought them. Commander Feral will be joining us."

"We have hotel permission," he smiled. "And we'll see about 'the entire city'," the Tiger chuckled. "You've had your polite warning. See you across the property line," he added before he turned to leave.

"Pompous hedonist," the Priestess growled under her breath, turning back to re-energize the protest, ignoring the threatened counter-protest, confident he wouldn't be able to mobilize _that_ sort of group.

* * *

"This is Ann Gora, on the scene at the newly rebuilt Manx Towers, where the city is celebrating its most successful opening of the structure yet."

"Layin' it on a little thick there, aren't you Ann?" Johnny asked her as they approached the protest.

"Just telling the truth, Johnny," Ann countered. "No hostage situation, no takeover by Viper, no hostile aliens... dueling protesters is tame for this place." She approached the scene, which really was something to behold.

"Several hundred protestors gathered today to voice their disapproval of MegaKat City being the home to the International Mister Leather competition, well known around the world for catering to the gay community. They weren't expecting that the people at the pageant - including huge numbers of MegaKat City's Enforcers - would turn out in a massive counter-protest that dwarfs the size of their own gathering, and includes both Commander and Lieutenant Commander Feral, and Majors Jake Clawson and Chance Furlong, who were at the heart of the riots started earlier this year when they were attacked in the Stonewall district. Priests and priestesses are on both sides, with Bastet's leading the protest and Halikar's and Mokra's most apparent in the counter-protest."

She wasn't at all surprised to see Commander Feral taking the opportunity to approach her and the camera before the protesters could.

"Commander," Ann smiled at him as the camera shifted to include them both in frame. "I must admit I am surprised to see such an official presence in the counter-protest. Were the Enforcers asked to come out to provide security initially?" She asked, giving him an opening to explain just why so many people in the traditionally conservative organization were here.

"No, those Enforcers are standing between the lines," he nodded to the fairly relaxed line of officers at the edge of the property. "Those in the protest are those attending, and were not ordered to come out. As you may have gathered from my announcement earlier this year, we are taking a much stronger stance against intolerance in this city, and within our own ranks."

"Do you have any idea how many of the Enforcers here actually _are_ in same-sex relationships, rather than showing their support?" She asked him, holding her microphone up to catch what he was going to say, noticing that the Priestess was on her way over, though being delayed by the difficulty in navigating the lines.

"Of those here," he glanced at the lines, his voice even. "Likely a couple hundred. It is not something I ask about, or care about, as long as they do their job."

"And you and your niece?" Ann asked him, knowing she was taking a chance, but just as sure her boss would skin her if she _didn't_ ask.

"At the ILM? The finest leather crafters in the world are here," he actually chuckled. "I'm surprised you were not aware that I ride a Herikuri. I am here with my ranking officers in the counter-protest to support my troops. We dedicate our lives, and many give their lives, to protect this city. They deserve the support of it, and their commanding officers."

"Thank you, Commander," Ann said politely, turning towards the Priestess. "Would you like to offer a counterpoint, Mother?"

"What this gathering supports is unnatural," she said with formal dignity. "It is against Bastet's teachings and a danger to society."

"Isn't it true that Major Furlong, one of the officers leading the counter-protest up there, has just completed a long legal battle with the family of his kits' mother, because he was aware that they would have killed his son for being male? And that he took in the kits his brother abandoned?" Ann asked him.

"Yes," Feral nodded. "Major Furlong is an exemplary officer and pilot. His partner, Major Clawson, also took the initiative to make those kits his beneficiaries, both in the Enforcers and privately."

"I know that family," the priestess broke in. "He lead them away from Bastet."

"Introducing his new family to Halikar's temple is hardly taking them away," Feral said dryly. "Halikar _is_ Bastet's mate."

"Or has there been a schism, between Bastet's temple and Halikar's?" Ann asked the Priestess as Feral motioned for Jake, Chance, and Mayrie to come down.

"There has been no split between Bastet and Halikar," the Priestess confirmed. "However, the Temples are still discussing these new developments in Halikar's church."

"If by new developments you mean him standing up for his history and beliefs, it's a great deal more than a discussion," Chance said dryly. "You may like to forget that The Aggressive Defender has always preferred a _male_ warrior for his first mate, but He has not forgotten."

"Those of us truly loyal to Him have never forgotten His beginnings, or that the modern disapproval of warriors being mates has been to quiet Bastet," Feral added with a dark tone. "His history has never been restricted if you wish to read it for yourself."

"Halikar came to his senses after the fall of Balkitia," she countered. "His church may choose to fall back into the ways of a fallen empire, but he has not."

"Actually, He and His church continued to publicly support warriors being lovers until three centuries ago," Feral told her. "But I have a more important question for you. If Bastet is truly backing you, why do you have so few people here? You've had months to plan, while our demonstration came together in less than half an hour."

"Most of the Temples have backed down for fear of official reprisals," the Priestess said smoothly, making what Ann knew was an excuse, but was afraid the Priestess herself had come to believe. "After what happened last time, can you be surprised? We need to show the city that there are still people not afraid to tell the truth."

"You are seriously comparing a response to having two people nearly beaten to death in front of their friends to the possible response to a demonstration?" Chance snorted. "Well, you can see now there is no violence," he waved at the peaceful setting. "Make your calls. Tell them to come out if they think you are right."

"While you arrange for that, Mother, I'll continue my coverage of the event inside," Anne said, stepping around the Commander and the gobsmacked Priestess with Johnny, heading up to try and get behind the massive protest lines. He was more than a little grateful that, for once, these lines were willing to let them pass and were generally friendly.

Inside was nearly as chaotic, though once they were past the lobby and into the convention areas on the fifth floor, the energy was very different. Here was a shopping zone.

"Here we are, inside the event that's caused such an uproar outside. If you were here, you'd be smelling leather and oil, and really not seeing that much that's offensive," Ann explained, turning to one of the vendors who wasn't as busy. "Excuse me, would you like to have a word about the pageant?" She asked the Fox wearing nothing but leather slacks and a headband politely.

"Sure," he smiled at her, his northern Keldinan accent light but noticeable. "It's all about showing off and stage presence. The guy who wins gets the glory, but as a crafter, if your leather is on the winner, it's quite a boon to business."

"Well, I wish you luck then," she grinned, looking over the items on his counter. "Is everything fitted for the customer?" She asked him curiously.

"Thinking of putting the ratings through the roof?" Johnny asked her with a grin.

"Thank you, ma'am," he smiled brightly. "I do have two top contenders strutting in my stuff. Yes, anyone worth buying from customizes the fit. Most of us create the garments when they are ordered. The samples are to show you the quality to expect, what kind of things I make, and to give you an idea of what it will look like on. Fine leather needs to be treated with respect."

"I understand," she nodded, shooting Johnny a bit of a glare as he took a shot of what was on the table. "Do you operate in MegaKat City most of the time, or are you from somewhere else?"

"I am from Keldina, but I will be in the city for approximately a week after the convention to finish the commissions I have here," he said. "I would be happy to meet with you after your work to discuss what you would like."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," Ann blushed slightly. "Where would you suggest I should go to get a good look at what the IML is all about for the people of MegaKat City? I'm planning on covering the pageant, but that's tomorrow, I think."

"For the majority, you are looking at it," he chuckled softly. "The majority come for the shopping. No where else will you find this much talent and skill in one place. You definitely should make time for one of the pageant shows. For the party types, there is usually a big one going on in the Manx Ballroom on the 10th floor."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'll be back around here later," she promised, heading over to the elevator with Johnny.

"You know, if the people out there just came in here and looked around, there wouldn't be that much for them to shout about," she observed on the ride up.

"Isn't that usually the case?" he shook his head. "Though I bet the folks outside wouldn't care. There is no debating with fanaticism."

"The sad thing is that she really believes what she's saying," Ann sighed. "Well, we don't have to go back out to it for a few minutes, at least. Let's check out this dance, hope the music's not up too loud." The elevator opened, and they stepped out, hearing the pulse of techno on the other side of the ballroom doors.

"I'm adjusting the gain," Johnny promised. "If we don't bother trying to talk inside, we'll be fine."

"I'll do a voice-over for it afterwards," she nodded as they stepped off the elevator onto a floor dedicated to a party that would have fit right in with any normal nightclub, except that nearly everyone was decked out in street legal leather.

The lights were up, people were moving... the only difference, besides the leather, was that most of the people dancing were dancing with partners of the same gender. Johnny took a few shots, adjusting the camera to get the best view, keeping an eye out for any celebrities he could recognize... not many there, but he did recognize a couple actors.

"Wow," Ann blinked, watching the scene.

"Nice, huh?" Johnny grinned. "Want to get the voiceover? Ann? Annie?" He glanced over at her, and chuckled, shaking his head, taking the chance to get a shot of Ann's stunned expression, and the very buff Wolf she was watching, his leathers leaving practically nothing to the imagination. It might not make it on the air, but the guys in editing would love it.

* * *

"What do you think Chance's chances are?" Mayrie asked as a buff, perfectly groomed Tiger left the stage after a performance that left her panties wet and Jake's jeans tight.

"Good; he'll probably place, but I'd be surprised if he won," Jake admitted. "This is just a hobby for him, not his livelihood, and it does show."

"Yeah, you're right," Mayrie admitted. "If I were here and single... _wow_. How are you doing, after... y'know?" She asked him, blushing a bit.

"Mmm?" he glanced at her, distracted by Chance stepping onto the stage.

For Mayrie, it was a final nail in the coffin of the idea that they were lovers of convenience. Far more attractive, even charismatic, toms had come onto stage, and Jake had enjoyed looking at them, but there was a reaction to the tabby there now that none of them got. She'd never be able to name it, but she knew she felt it too.

"It was a blast," he chuckled at the way she stared at him. "I love him, but everybody's got their kinks. My big one is being in the middle of a gangbang."

"Which explains the video that May spotted," Mayrie giggled slightly, watching Chance flex on the stage and show off his body. "Jake, serious question time... do you think this is going to work out with us?"

"As long as you aren't faking how well we are dealing with the idea that you're sharing Chance, pretty good odds," he said, his eyes on the stage. "You're a good mother, Chance likes you, it seems a good match in all."

"Good," she smiled slightly. "May really does like you a lot, and Carrie does too, I think. You'll start to see it more once they're sure it'll last."

"For May, it will last, whether you and Chance do or not," Jake said. "She's my protégée. Carrie ... I just don't have anything in common with."

"I think that might change, in the future," Mayrie smiled. "She's never had somebody to really look up to, besides me and her brother and sister. So there's a good chance she'll take after either you or Chance. Did you ever think you'd have a protégée this young?" She asked him curiously as Chance moved off the stage, and the next contestant, a less buff, but still sexy Cheetah came out.

"If I hadn't been accepted into the Academy when I was, I would have had one years ago," he said, watching the stage, and the audience where Ann Gora sat, gawking at all the hard bodies. "He's doing very well under my mentor."

"I'm glad to hear it... how much longer do you plan on staying in the Enforcers, right now?"

"Honestly, that's up to Chance," Jake nodded towards backstage, where the tabby was. "I can pick up a job anytime, and just about anywhere. His skills are more specialized."

"What do you think will happen for the two of you after the Enforcers? I haven't seen you do too much together, outside of it, besides the obvious," she pointed out.

"That's another reason I wanted him to have a girlfriend," Jake said a little sadly. "I honestly don't know what'll happen. It might well be that our service _is_ what we have in common. I know I can turn to my work and walk away if it's the right choice, but I could never leave him alone. I've seen where those choices could take us, and I don't want to go there."

"Jake... I'm here for you too, okay?" She told him seriously, looking over. "Chance'll be miserable if you are, so if things start getting hard, don't be afraid to talk to me. Please?"

"I will," he reached over to take her hand. "I want him to be happy. I know I can't be the only one and have that happen. He needs too much, so much I can't provide."

"He tries not to go too far, so don't be afraid to tell him if he is," Mayrie smiled. "And, now that I'm done quoting that panel you two dragged me to yesterday, is there anything you'd like from me, while it's just the two of us talking?"

"Mostly your understanding," Jake smiled shyly at her. "What is said and what's the practical reality aren't going to look much in common. You are his primary mate, just in time you spend together, doing things couples do. I know the official story is going to fluctuate between Chance having two mates, probably placing me first, and a true triad. I need you to not contest that, even if you're with him eighty percent of the time. I really didn't understand what I was getting myself into when I asked if there might be some attention for me in his bed," he blushed deeply. "The three of us are going to have some pretty serious talks about it in the next few weeks. It's too public now to not have our stories straight."

"I'd never say otherwise," she told him, a little shocked at the idea. "Jake, you were his mate before I was... I don't think I even _am_ yet, officially," she pointed out. "It might not look like it to _you_ , but he still thinks you're his primary."

"I know," Jake nodded. "And it's important politically that it continues to look that way. I'm trying to say that I can't be, in reality. Not by time and attention given at least. I'm never going to try to contest my place, I need you to understand that if I'm only with him a handful of days a year, that's where I want it to be. It's what I'm happy with. That means you'd spend a lot more time the subject of his attentions than I am, and it's okay."

"All right," she smiled, leaning over to kiss his cheek lightly. "I understand, and I won't worry too much. I'll _try_ to keep him from worrying, too."

"Thank you," Jake relaxed visibly. "That's Kip," he added as the powerful Wolf-Tiger hybrid came on stage.

Mayrie looked up curiously, and her jaw dropped as she saw him.

" _Wow_. If I weren't already with Chance, this place would be _really_ tempting. Have you two ever...?"

"Oh yeah," he grinned, his tone hungry at the memories. "We even spent a heat together with one of Chance's best friends. It was seriously intense. He is incredible if you are into being dominated."

"So... is it true about half-breeds, below the waist?" She asked him shyly. "Barbs and knot?"

"The ones I've met have it all," he licked his whiskers back. "Endurance to spare too."

"You're making me jealous," she teased him playfully, watching the look Kip was giving Jake. "Does it make it harder working with him?"

"Not for me, but I've spent a lifetime with sex and work in different part of my brain," he chuckled. "I know he'd like more of my time than I gave him, especially now, but he seems to do fine."

"As long as he's okay with it," she nodded. "Mmm... it's going to be a real pain, when May starts looking at boyfriends," she chuckled. "Should I have you, or Chance, play papa-bear?" She asked him teasingly.

"Both," he laughed easily. "He's more imposing, but I scare anyone who knows of me more. I have the more disturbing equipment too."

"Mmm... true, but Chance _does_ have the very large rifle he could take out and clean," Mayrie giggled. "We'll just have to see who's around when it comes up. At least I don't have to worry about her getting in trouble while she's at a FEW meet anymore."

"I know, I built him that riffle," Jake winked at her. "And no more than at school at least," he nodded. "They're good kids, but they're still kids. Things happen sometimes. There's just a lot more social pressure not to."

"I know," she nodded. "But I mean in general. Yes, they can still get in trouble, but with you watching her at the meets, I know that nobody's going to try anything, for example. I know it wasn't _likely_ to happen, but... well, I still worried, when I wasn't around her."

"It's part of why you're a good mother," he reached over to squeeze her hand. "How are you adapting to not having a job?"

"Wonderfully," she admitted, squeezing his back with a smile. "Cameron and Cassandra are wonderful, and I can focus more on the others too, now. Mitch is doing much better too."

"Glad to hear it," he smiled. "Have you and Chance talked about when the next little will be coming?"

"Probably not with my next heat - he doesn't want another litter on the way _that_ quickly. But we'll see what happens," she smiled. "It's not so much that he doesn't want more kits, as that he's not sure if I'd be up to taking care of two litters at once - I don't think that's going to be a problem though," she winked.

"Probably wants to at least get set up to get off front line combat duty too," Jake nodded. "Even if he's trying not to talk about that around you too much, I know it's heavy on his mind."

"Honestly, I can kind of tell," she admitted. "Especially when he _doesn't_ try to talk about it. After this war ... that ought to make things better."

"I hope so," Jake nodded. "It's not like things are ever really calm for us though. This city isn't set up for people to retire at the top of their career."

"Please don't remind me of that," Mayrie told him softly. "Are they going to _stop_ him from retiring from the front lines?"

"Just with guilt, and his own drive to be a hero," Jake shrugged. "I don't think Feral will try too hard, but that's not saying it's going to be easy for him to walk away and hide when Dark Kat comes by next. He's spent his adult life an Enforcer of one kind of another, fighting in some war. It's not going to be easy to be something else when he knows he'd really help the city on the front lines."

"I imagine not," she nodded slightly. "If I think about it from the perspective of the city being his family, it even makes sense... or at least his Wing. There's no real way to stop him though, not when it's really an emergency."

"I'm not sure he sees the city as his family, but it's definitely his home," Jake nodded, shamelessly checking out the buff Panther that strutted onto stage next. "The Knights are definitely family, though. I'm not sure he can ever really retire, not unless he finds something to do that fills that need to be a hero. And face it, none of those are any safer than his current job."

"Not really," she agreed. "We'll just have to make sure he keeps his skills sharp after he gets off the lines then... that, or make sure they slip and he knows it, but I couldn't do that to him."

"That shouldn't be hard," Jake smiled a little devilishly. "He's gotten me quite used to the adrenaline kick of combat. I'll have access to the best fighters in the world after we retire to play with, and training courses the Enforcers could only dream of affording. It's not the same, but I'll see he keeps up. My life is going to be on the line too."

The general conversation finally penetrated Ann's fixed gaze on the stage, and she turned towards their table, her ears twitching as she snuck over a bit.

"Did I hear that you and Major Furlong are planning on retiring?" She asked Jake quietly.

"As much as anyone might in the city," Jake answered as he turned to face her. "It's not like paperwork's been filed or anything."

"Would you mind talking to me about it, after the show if you'd rather? Both of you, if I can pull it off," she added. "I'd be glad to sit on it until after the paperwork's filed, but it'd be a good scoop afterwards, and I could get your side of things before anybody can accuse you of having other reasons."

"I'll see what Chance thinks, but I'm willing," Jake nodded slightly. "He has more at stake in it than I do."

"I understand," she nodded. "Let me know when a good time is," she smiled, handing him her card before returning to her table.

"That'll be an odd conversation," Mayrie said.

"Not half as odd as some we've already had," Jake chuckled.


	56. When Things Go Wrong

Admiral Pace walked around the holographic projection of their newest assignment, a planet the locals called Aristal as the very large task force he was in charge of passed through the third gate to this system they'd had to build. This one was much further out, in the outer of two asteroid belts, and apparently it was far enough out that the natives hadn't found it.

What should have been a cake walk with a single fleet carrier against a world that barely had satellites up had somehow turned into an uncertain prospect with seven of the great ships and his own Steuerung as a command and control vessel. He knew the destruction of the two moon bases hadn't brought this unprecedented show of force; it had been the monsters that could appear and disappear at will, seemed all but immune to weapons and could shift between at least three forms like a werewolf and could drain a person's mind with a look. What was worse, they were in no local database, not even the mythology or cryptozoology references on their internet. Not even rumors about their existence or capabilities.

It was unique to say the least.

"We always get the interesting ones, don't we, Admiral?" Lieutenant Ramsey, his communications officer, quipped nervously as the fleet came into a near-moon orbit.

"Because this is the best armada in the navy," Pace reminded him, his voice deep and even, far more settled than his own nerves right now. With what had happened to the second base, he half expected a disaster as soon as they were in orbit. "Patch all carriers in once they've established bypasses through the warp-shields."

"Yes, Sir," Lieutenant Ramsey responded quickly, coordinating with the other ships before a holographic image of each of the fleet carrier's commanding officer appeared around the table. 

"Communications and data links are confirmed," each of the coordinators, one for each fleet carrier, reported as two-way communication was established and the links to the ground forces still on board established. "Downloading and correlating data obtained since last burst."

"Everyone has the data packs for their targets and the overall plans?" Admiral Pace looked around his fellow Admirals, who nodded confirmation. "All assault forces are ready to launch?" he glanced around for another series of nods. "Good. Admiral Simard, your troops understand that they are joining the Defiance's assault on Xenquii?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Though I'm still a little sketchy on why I'm to take out a country with a footprint smaller than my ship and no apparent military as a first stop."

"Because it is surrounded by aggressive, expansionist nations and no one has even accidentally crossed their border in nearly a thousand years, and no one has conquered them since the temple was first built," Admiral Pace explained. "Whatever they have that keeps their neighbors at bay, we need to take them out. Everyone on the world seems to agree it's 'divine commandment' and that this is a primary temple to one of their eldest gods, but other than their alliance to their original god of pain, there is no indication of what practical way they have to keep their neighbors from running them over."

"The standing assumption being that it's nothing real, but not to risk it," Vice Admiral Simard nodded thoughtfully as he reviewed the data. If he took it as credible, those were the two most well-protected square miles on the planet. Yet even though it had the locals behaving, it barely qualified as recorded history.

"We have confirmed thirty-two nations with nuclear ICBMs, though only Xenquii, Tusandrin and MegaKat City have more than a handful. While Sayden Bay, north of MegaKat City, was believed to have a significant stockpile, what we have gotten from their military networks indicates that is a bluff. They do have a few, but nothing that is a threat to us."

"What about this Saydan Bay?" Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur, in charge of taking care of its southern neighbor, asked as she reviewed the final data before the assault began. "The last thing I need is their interference."

"Saydan Bay," Admiral Pace said as he brought up a hologram of the large city and it's sheltered bay large enough to be a sound, "will be a major nightmare to take by force. It is ruled in practice by several mobs and countless street gangs. That will keep them from actively helping other nations without giving us sufficient warning to adjust our plans as needed. They are large and industrialized, but not a military power. We'll need every unit we have if we end up taking it street by street."

"Here's hoping not," Rear Admiral Lower Half Delgado winced. "Entrenched city of ten million, gorilla warfare, a population that likely is almost entirely armed and willing to use them. Conquest at it's worst."

"The tropical island hopping campaign my Marines are going on is worse," Vice Admiral Marino of the TSS Poseidon told him. "Cities don't have beachheads."

"But they do have buildings," Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart of the TSS Hawking, countered with a knowing grin for the age-old debate between Marines and Army. "Far more places to hide and make traps."

"Boys, boys," Vice Admiral Yilmaz of the TSS Unconquered teased her fellow Admirals. "Just get the work done. At lease neither of you are trying to take their Vietnam."

"If you'd rather take on China, I'll trade," Vice Admiral Byrne of the TSS Defiance winked at her.

"No thanks," she shook her head quickly. "Though I'll probably be joining either you or Mazur before long. You're taking on the big boys down there."

"All right, back to business," Admiral Pace ended the excited and nervous banter. "Any questions before you break for your assignments and start putting troops on the ground?"

The other Admirals shook their heads and ordered the assault to begin. First putting their ground troops down threw the insurgent gates that had been built in the prior year, then the great fleet carriers discharged their frigates and allowed the cruisers to break off from their main hull attachments. Fighter pilots scrambled, but most remained within the relatively safe confines of the fleet carriers. Only a few squadrons left them to patrol.

Everyone turned when chaotic screams and data bursts came from Captain Rivera's consol.

"Put that up!" Admiral Pace snapped.

"Yes, sir," she replied and hooked the main holographic displays to her data stream.

"It's those things," Vice Admiral Byrne gasped in horror as they watched a whole unit of his ground forces torn to sheds, their heavy power armor and vehicles providing no protection. Just like the recordings of the moon strike, weapons didn't have much effect. Only this time they were the heavy weapons of a fully armed and armored assault force, not the side arms of a remote outpost.

The monsters, shaped like giant carnivorous mice with huge spiral horns and saber teeth, felt the impact, sometimes they bled green, but they always got up and attacked again, slaughtering more of Byrne's men before being knocked down again. It still didn't stop them.

"Any other gates under attack?" Admiral Pace demanded.

"Kaleesin Two is," Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zhang said evenly as she brought up the feed from there.

"All others clear," Captain Rivera told them.

"Abandon those two, call the troops back and auto-destruct the gates," Admiral Pace ordered. "Put them down where there is no resistance."

"Sounding the retreat," Captain Rivera announced, keying the order. The men quickly started pulling back towards the two gates, but it was clear that they'd be decimated if they were lucky.

More likely, it would be a mere handful coming back out of the hundreds already dropped, and they'd be the ones who had only just arrived.

"Admiral, if we're going to hold this world, we have to capture one of those beasts to find out how to kill them," Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur of the TSS Shiva said quietly, still more than slightly in shock at what she was watching.

"After we've established our footholds," Admiral Pace told her grimly as they all watched the slaughter of their troops at two locations while every other location was going well. "There are no signs of attacks on the rest of the force. It's likely those gates landed in their territory, we'll take them out after we've had a chance to finish the rest of the job."

The image abruptly split into three scenes, the new one showing an explosion and troops scattering.

"Gate Filhamar Three is under attack Sirs," Master Sergeant McCloud spoke up. "It looks to be by kats and conventional explosives."

"The gate itself?" Vice Admiral Marino of the TSS Poseidon snapped.

"Damaged but repairable in the field, Sir," Master Sergeant McCloud answered. "Our forces are faring much better. This group does not seem to be as prepared for us as the monsters."

"They _are_ monsters," Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart of the TSS Hawking said dryly. "These kats ... they're using standard guerrilla tactics, light armor, mid-grad weapons. We'll take losses, but this is what we expected from them."

"Continue the assault, but keep them away from the gate," the Admiral nodded. "We'll need _some_ foothold to pull this off.

"All other gate drops are proceeding as planned, no signs of being detected," Captain Rivera reported. "The losses should have little overall affect on the mission."

"We have the space force's attention," Senior Chief Petty Officer Kapur reported. "One hundred and fifty-three fighters are converging on the fleet carriers. Targets appear to be Shiva and Defiance."

"Bring the battle up," Admiral Pace ordered. The holodisplay changed to show the two fleet carriers that were under attack by miniscule fighters from the planet below. "Eight months ago they barely had satellites in orbit. They capture one shuttle and can field _this_ already?" he scowled.

"For what it's worth, they're not getting through the warp-shields," Chief Warrant Officer Zhang offered. "Our fighters are at least equal to them, and we have far more - if this is what they can field, we can handle them."

"Yes, we can," he agreed, the scowl still in place. "That I never doubted."

"The long-term stability of the planet under Terran rule will be questionable, however," Master Sergeant McCloud commented to his friend. "They are displaying a technological advancement well in excess of what we managed at the beginning of the Plutarkian war. The response so far indicates a world as accustomed to being under siege as their internet indicates. They could be very difficult to hold onto."

"We've held worse," Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zhang countered between orders and organizing that all the coordinators were doing.

"That one," Rear Admiral Lower Half Delgado of the TSS Victory suddenly pointed at one of the fighters attacking the Defiance. "Focus on that one. It's the unit leader, and best fighter. And that one on Shiva."

"If we could afford to drop the shields, we'd show them exactly what a _real_ battleship is capable of," Zhang growled lowly, sending out the orders to his fighters to shift their focus. One of the heavy fighters got in behind the one on the Defiance, and a blast of its main gun ripped the ship in half, crushing its starboard side while leaving the rest of it intact. The one that was after the Shiva wasn't as easily caught; the pilot seemed to know what was going to happen just long enough ahead of each attack to dodge it, usually putting himself in position to counterattack with what weapons they _did_ have.

"Damn he's good," Delgado murmured with honest respect. "The wing is more unified too."

"Sirs, we have a feed from one of the monster's camps," Captain Rivera said with controlled excitement. "One of the recorder bots survived and followed them."

"Put it up," Admiral Pace focused. "And track the location. I want an orbital bombardment now."

"Yes, Sir," she responded quickly, the two space battles now sharing space with a cavern with next to no light, natural or otherwise. Before anyone could order it, the display shifted to night vision and several dozen creatures of three kinds came into focus. The monsters everyone recognized, but there were also humanoid mice and horned canines with long tails.

"Can we get a translation on that?" Vice Admiral Byrne of the TSS Defiance asked.

"Working on it Sir," she replied. "It is not a language in any of the databases."

"Makes sense for a thing that isn't," Vice Admiral Marino of the TSS Poseidon muttered.

"The native fighters are breaking off," Captain Rivera reported. "Forty-one heading back."

"Have the fighters pull any mostly-intact ones on board," Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur of the TSS Shiva ordered. "Let's see what they really managed in nine months."

"Captured fighters being brought on board the destroyers," Captain Rivera said.

"Progress on the translation?" Pace asked.

"At least an hour, likely several, Sir," Captain Rivera answered. "I would hazard that they are not in agreement, however. The body language and pointing does not read to me as a group in agreement."

"That's good for us," Pace decided.

"They just discovered the recorder bot," Captain Rivera said as the image of a dark quadruped came close to it. The image of the cavern went to static, then disappeared. "Probe has been destroyed." 

"Do we have any intel on where the group in Xenquii is?" Admiral Pace asked.

"Nothing more than which gate they struck, Sir," she shook her head.

"Then we will proceed as planned," he decided. "We knew we would encounter them eventually. ETA to first targets?"

"Ten minutes to Filhamar, twenty-two to MegaKat City," Captain Rivera gave him the range.

"Any indication the target cities are aware what is coming?" Admiral Pace asked.

"Yes, Sir," she responded. "There are evacuation efforts under way in MegaKat City, Xacal and Xenquii. It will have minimal effect on the overall casualties we expect to inflict."

"Sirs, we have an incoming transmission, directed at the Hawking," Senior Chief Petty Officer Ivanov had everyone's attention in a heartbeat.

"Visual, or audio only?" Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart of the TSS Hawking asked.

"Visual, Sir," she responded quickly and patched the transmission into the main display so everyone could see it.

"Greetings," the royally dressed male Tiger rumbled deeply in his native language, one that the computer translated in near real time. "I am Lord and Champion Shier Khan of Tusandrin. I know you have come to conquer Aristal. Know that if you come within Tusandrin's boarders or airspace, you will face nature herself."

"Is this two-way capable?" Admiral Pace asked.

"Yes, Sir," Senior Chief Petty Officer Ivanov nodded.

"Patch me through to him," the dark-skinned human ordered as he straitened, for once grateful that regulation had him wearing his full dress whites. It made him look like he belonged when negotiating with a powerful local king. "Greetings, Lord Khan," he said politely. "There is no need for us to invade your lands. All we ask is freedom of movement in it."

"You come very well armed for someone who does not intend violence," Lord Khan pointed out. "What do you offer in exchange for passage in my kingdom?"

"Trade, technology, protection; all the advantages of being an ally of the Terran Alliance," Admiral Pace said smoothly. "I am sure you can see from our ships that we have a great deal to offer."

"Alliance at sword point is nothing more than surrender," Lord Khan rumbled. "If you enter my territory, I will destroy you, as I have destroyed all others."

"Cooperative fellow," Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart of the TSS Hawking muttered as his destroyers and frigates descended first.

"Merely one who knows his place," Lord Khan replied. "Your declaration of war has been accepted."

"A class three storm has just formed around the Hawking and her fleet," Senior Chief Petty Officer Ivanov reported even as it became apparent that even the warp-shield protected fleet carrier was being buffeted by the increasingly angry environment. "Strength increasing to class four, still increasing."

"Any indication where it's control center is?" Admeral Pace demanded.

"Nothing is putting out that kind of power, Sir," she responded. 

"It's a bad storm, but the larger ships can weather this and far more," Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart of the TSS Hawking reminded them. "We just can't do a lot while it's active."

"Back off to the upper atmosphere and wait," Admiral Pace ordered quickly. "If things don't calm down, shift your focus to assisting the Defiance."

"Yes, Sir," Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart nodded smartly and ordered his battered ships to head into near orbit to escape the storms. "Odd," he murmured, watching as the storms subsided almost immediately. "We may not be able to trace how, but that is definitely weather control at an impressive grade."

"Yes, it is," Admiral Pace agreed. "It seems that the statements about magic being real here are less fantasy than we gave it credit for."

"Sir?" Captain Rivera raised an eyebrow at him.

"Magic or technology advanced enough it acts as such," he said simply as the Hawking's fleet descended again. This time they were allowed to get close enough to the surface before the storm closed above them, going from clear skies to a class five storm in a matter of heartbeats. It wasn't enough to trap the fleet carrier, but everything smaller than the Hawking herself was torn to sheds or slammed into the ground by winds and lightning without rain.

"There are survivors on the ground," Senior Chief Petty Officer Ivanov reported as information came into her station. "Our ground forces are on an intercept course for the crash sites with confirmed life. Estimated casualties at sixty percent."

"Damn," Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart cursed sharply, his image rocking violently as his ship forced it way above the storm. He was thrown from his command chair completely before they cleared the atmosphere.

"I am really beginning to hate this world," Admiral Pace muttered to himself as Stewart regained his chair. "Unless we drop our shields, we aren't going to be of much use now."

"Xacal has fallen, full surrender," Rear Admiral Lower Half Delgado reported. "We are moving north to MegaKat City."

"Acknowledged," Admiral Pace nodded to him before turning back to Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart. "Head to Saydan Bay. Drop your shields only long enough to fire. We'll deal with Tusandrin later."

"Yes, Sir," Stewart nodded.

"We are detecting no resistance from Filhamar," Vice Admiral Marino of the TSS Poseidon reported. "It looks like the cities are completely abandoned. No IR signatures to speak of."

"There is significant resistance on the ground in outlying areas, Sirs," Master Sergeant McCloud spoke up. "We'll be island hopping for months, but without an industrial base it's only a matter of time."

"We have reached the MegaKat City coastline," Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur said grimly despite the slight awe in her expression. "A city five times size of LA," she murmured to herself. "All right, let's get this show on the road," she signaled her forces to begin the assault.

She expected there to be fighters in the air, and she was obliged. Mostly antiquated ones that had just discovered supersonic flight, but there was a small wing of the type that had gone into space against them. It wasn't nearly what she expected from the world's second military power.

"What the!" she gasped along with several others as a huge explosion of light filled their sensors and one of the frigates all but vanished as it vaporized by a single ICBM that got through it's fighter and anti-missile batteries.

"Ma'am! Heavy backup for MKC6," Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zhang said, just this side of a panic.

"On its way," she responded, ordering two frigates to the location.

"Encountering non-kat resistance," she added as she brought the battle to the holodisplay for the admirals. The heavily armored and armed advanced unit was in chaos, their weapons being ripped from their hands by writhing, twisting vines. One of the men who'd been in the lead was dangling limply from a branch, his head at an unnatural angle. Giant wasps, larger than men, swept down from the trees, firing sprays of stingers that punctured armor.

"We're getting pounded down he-uck!" The report was interrupted by a long, flexible tongue that shot out of the water, wrapping around the sergeant's neck and pulling her down into the mouth of a giant frog hidden beneath the surface of the swamp. Another one tried grabbing the next trooper in line, but ended up swallowing a grenade instead - a short victory, when one of the wasps pierced the trooper's shoulder with its stinger.

It stayed there for a moment, its thorax pulsing before a rifle shot blew it into a fine green mass. The trooper clutched the bloody wound, on his knees in pain... then began to scream as the hole in his armor was ripped wider, the eggs that had been deposited in his shoulder already hatching, the larva eating away at his body and coming out looking for more fresh meat. A hail of gunfire cut them down, but the unit was already at least half dead when a hover tank crashed in, knocking down trees, thickly armored enough to stop the beasts outside until it could shoot them down with its secondary guns.

"MKC6 location cleared; waiting for additional backup," the tank commander announced grimly. "This place reeks," he grumbled. "Marines are collecting the bodies, and specimens for analys-" He was cut off by screams outside the tank, as the bodies of the fallen troopers began to grow and twist, returning to a twisted, mutated sort of life and launching into their former brothers in arms.

"Sir, we are receiving a transmission from a location in the swamp," Officer Zhang said, patching it through as she tried to coordinate a counter-offensive until backup could arrive.

"Sssstay out of my sssswamp!" A sibilant voice ordered them. The worst part was that it didn't sound angry, it didn't sound worried... it didn't even sound imperious, like the Tiger had. It just sounded irritated, like somebody had interrupted its lunch.

The lights around Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur of the TSS Shiva flashed red with the intruder alert sirens blaring in the background.

"We will not loose another homeworld," a black male mouse, not much taller than the female Admiral, told her as he stepped out of a light shimmer and into existence on her bridge with a white female Mouse that stilled everyone with a glare, two of the canines and three of the monsters. He looked at her holo reader. "We helped you protect Earth when Mars was lost. We will destroy you to protect Aristal."

"What _are_ you?"  Pace demanded as every officer on the TSS Shiva's bridge tried to bring their weapons up as soon as they'd had a chance to realize what was happening, only to find themselves unable to move.

Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur tried to stand to face the invader, but he put a hand on her shoulder and sat her back down with a light thump.

"We are Loup Maru of Haloeth," he said firmly. "If any Martian Mice survived, ask about us. The Steuerung is free to go. The rest of your ships, and your people, belong to us."

"You're not dealing with an unprepared outpost this time, beast," Pace said grimly. "If you do not back down, we will retaliate against your locations."

"That would be as effective as your efforts to block us from boarding your ships," Rico gave him a cheeky smirk before looking down at Mazur. "Now, I'll be nice. You can call your forces back, or my tech geek over there will call them back without anyone on board."

"Your monsters will just kill them when they get back anyways," Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur countered. "You've just said as much."

Admiral Pace shot Senior Chief Petty Officer Kapur a look, and she nodded, working furiously at her controls.

"We are willing to leave your people out of this," Pace told them, trying to buy enough time to salvage the rest of the Shiva's fleet, if not the carrier. "You said you've had dealings with the Plutarkians before - that is not how we treat a world in the Terran Empire, or its people. We've had our own confrontations with them in the past."

"The entire fleet, other than the fighters, are headed into space," Senior Chief Petty Officer Kapur said quietly. "No luck yet. They're blocking us."

Rico glanced down at Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur, whose face twisted into a silent snarl of resistance and pain while Rico clicked his tongue.

"Only barely, from what she's seen," he looked back at Admiral Pace, allowing Mazur to slump in exhaustion. "No. The Alphas agreed. This world is ours. You leave or you die."

"You are not in a position to give demands," Admiral Pace glared at the pitch-black Mouse.

"Then you will be destroyed," Rico told them before nodding over his shoulder at his small pack.

In a heartbeat the crew was dispatched. Necks broken by a strong, supple tail; eaten in two bites or simply glared at to stop their heart and brain.

"Open the ships," Rico ordered to the other female Mouse, a piebald tabby.

"Sir, they've depressurized in space," Senior Chief Petty Officer Kapur gasped in horror. "All but the bridge."

"Damn it," Pace growled lowly. "Initiate the self-destruct sequence on the Shiva. Shortest possible countdown. If we can't save the ship, we'll at least keep them from getting it."

"We are still locked out, Sir," she responded, desperately trying to break into the fleet carrier or any of her subordinate ships. "It's like they know everything I do and then some about the systems."

"That is not inaccurate," Rico told them. "We know your ships, your tactics, your goals, your fears," he dropped his nose slightly and lifted Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur's delicate chin with a loop of his tail that had broken her neck. "Don't we, pretty?"

"Yes, Sir," her voice came from a dead body, gazing at her former comrades with eyes that no longer saw.

"I'm going to leave her in charge of this ship while we claim another one," Rico told them. "If you're smart, you'll take your Steuerung and high tail it to the gate in the second asteroid belt before we finish the armed vessels."

"Drop warp shields, and begin orbital bombardment of the locations we've identified the monsters at," Pace said after a moment. "Take the Steureung towards the gate. Ships that are in areas without their presence, continue the invasion. Those that can, do as much damage as you possibly can.

"I hope you realize that you have just signed your people's death warrant," he told Rico. "We brought an end to our war with the Plutarkian Empire; have your people encountered _any_ enemy that was capable of that? Close communications."

"Closed," Senior Chief Petty Officer Kapur reported. 

"Oh shit," Rear Admiral Lower Half Delgado's eyes went wide. "Nukes!" he managed to get out before his image went white from the massive energy discharge.

"The Lothos capitol of Gaurida is dust," Vice Admiral Yilmaz reported. "Ground forces are taking a beating as well as giving one. They are trying the nuclear ICBM trick too, but we're shooting most of them down."

"How _stupidly_ independent can one planet be?" Pace muttered to himself. "Withdraw to low orbit, continue to shoot down the missiles."

"Earth and Mars," Vice Admiral Marino of the TSS Poseidon reminded him.

"These guys are _nuts_!" Vice Admiral Yilmaz gasped at what was on her sensors. "They're going kamikaze with nukes on board."

"Sir, the Retribution is in position above Salucia," Vice Admiral Simard announced. "We are commencing the att-"

Before he could finish the sentence, the Retribution began broadcasting to the ships on every frequency. Holographic input from inside the ship, audio out of every speaker, if there was a way for the ship to communicate with its colleagues, it was suddenly wide open, blocking off every other channel.

"What is happening?" Pace demanded.

"I don't know, Sir, it -"

"This is Queen Shelar of Salucia to the alien vessel," a clear female voice cut through the incessant comm chatter. "Leave our airspace, and our orbit, immediately, or you _will_ be destroyed."

Pace began to give the order to establish a two-way communication link, when she spoke again.

"Your time is up."

The voice from Aristal was silenced, returning every communication line to the Retribution. It happened just in time for every living being on the ship to begin screaming in absolute agony, the cacophony deafening as it echoed through the hull of the carrier, screams joining in an obscene harmony as Pace and his coordinators were forced to watch the bodies of their colleagues and subordinates twist and deform before their eyes. Painful breaks gave way to literal spikes of bone erupting from skin, cancerous growths burst open, unleashing swarms of hellish insects that swarmed through the ship, attacking anything that lived.

The metal of the ship itself began to warp and tear, twisting itself into shapes to serve whatever power had taken it over. Lifts became iron maidens, medical beds were transformed into racks, consoles became pillories, holding the people in them in place, preventing them from taking any action to save themselves as their bodies betrayed them.

The lucky ones were those who were standing in the open - most of them tried to get to their weapons after a few agonizing moments, and those whose hands still worked were allowed to kill themselves, instead of waiting for their hearts to give out under the pain.

"Sweet God," Pace whispered, before the screams finally came to an end, and the ship returned to its natural shape.

Everything was silent for a long moment before Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zhang spoke.

"All life on board the Retribution and all subordinate vessels is dead," she said mutedly. "What _happened_ on that ship?"

"You have witnessed the power of Salucia," Queen Shelar spoke again, her tone solemn, and not at all smug about having just obliterated all the life on board the Retribution. 

"Your ship is claimed by the Royal Family of Salucia as a war prize. Your dead will be jettisoned into orbit in escape vessels. If any further action is taken against our nation, there will be _no_ warning."

The comm went dead again, giving them another several moments of the eerie silence and macabre sights of twisted bodies aboard the Retribution before communications with other vessels were restored.

"Call everyone back. Full retreat," Admiral Pace ordered, audibly sick to his stomach. "This pre-spaceflight world has taken out four fleet carriers and stopped two more in their tracks. It is not worth it. And the next time those monsters show up, assume the system can not be taken."

"Yes Sir," Captain Rivera responded quickly.

The Poseidon and Hawking responded without question, everyone aware of just how badly things had gone.

"Oh crap," Vice Admiral Marino said as the intruder alarms went off.

"Space does not protect you from us," a deep, low growl said as a different group of Mice, monsters and canines appeared on board on the TSS Poseidon's bridge. One of the ten plus foot tall creatures grabbed Marino and vanished while the others slaughtered the bridge crew and took control of the ship.

"Intruder!" Captain Rivera gasped even as a linebacker of a tan Mouse appeared out of no where with a woman securely wrapped in his tail.

"I don't kill babies," he said as he unwrapped his tail, all but throwing the shocked young woman into Admiral Pace's arms before he disappeared.

"What was that about?" He asked her.

"Pregnant, just barely," the woman explained, standing shakily. "It's... they're killing everybody," she shuddered. "Never seen a battle like that. It's a slaughter and they aren't even using weapons."

"How did the Plutarkians ever drive them from Mars?" Master Sergeant McCloud shook his head.

"Poseidon and her fleet have begun to depressurize," Senior Chief Petty Officer Crawford reported with a sick tone.

"How are the ground forces doing?" Admiral Pace demanded, trying to not to look at the only two Admirals left as he asked the coordinators.

"MKC units have incurred heavy losses to reach the city limits and are reporting a population that is well armed, knows how to fight and seems accustomed to being attacked," Senior Chief Petty Officer Kapur reported.

"Xenquii is a mess, " Captain Rivera reported. "We are taking heavy losses without air support. Their weapons are not all that effective against battle armor and tanks, but they seem to have an endless supply of people and explosives. Most resistance is around the cities."

"Xacal is solidly under our control. There is little resistance from the people or the government," Senior Chief Petty Officer Crawford reported.

"Fihamar's infrastructure is destroyed, but there is heavy gorilla-style resistance," Master Sergeant McCloud reported. "While our forces are taking heavy losses, they are making progress."

"The forces put down in Kaleesin that were not attacked by the Loup Maru have not met noticeable resistance from the native population, but they have not reached a major city or military contact yet," Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zhang reported.

"All forces that have encountered local resistance have been obliterated, by the weather and other natural forces according to the reports that have made it through," Senior Chief Petty Officer Ivanov reported. "Three battalions are still largely intact."

"Lothos is providing heavy gorilla resistance," Chief Warrant Officer 2 Decker reported. "Progress is questionable."

"Have the ground forces withdraw to rural areas, and work in building transponders. We'll send rescue forces as soon as we can, but air forces have to retreat or there won't _be_ a rescue coming."

"Relaying orders," Captain Rivera responded. "Hawking is making good time to join us, though she has lost her fleet. ETA to the gate in forty-three minutes."

"Sensors at full range, watch for any signs of an attack," Pace ordered. "Damnation... we haven't seen anything like this since the Plutarkian wars," he muttered as everyone settled in for a tense trip to the gate and home.

"This is one debriefing that is going to suck," Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart sighed, commiserating with Admiral Pace. "It'll be one time I'm glad I won't be in your chair."

"You..." Admiral Pace froze as the lights flickered around his holographic colleague.

"She's imploding," Stewart managed to say before the transmission cut out.

"Any data on why?" Pace turned on Senior Chief Petty Officer Ivanov.

"No, sir," she responded. "Hawking was badly damaged. It's likely her warp engines destroyed her."

"I hope that's all it was," he murmured. "Get us back into Terran space. We'll send out a rescue force on our way back to Earth."

Fifty tense minutes later, Captain Rivera looked over at him with a breath of relief. "We are clear of the gate and just outside the Terran system. What should I tell them?"

"That a rescue mission for the fleet's ground forces is required and to label that system out of bounds," he said formally. "A full report will be given after we dock."

"Yes, Sir," she responded and quickly relayed the message to the empire's headquarters only a couple hours away.


	57. A World Prepared

"Mayrie," a female voice she belatedly recognized as Jake's computer-aid took her attention away from picking up. "Get the twins and get down to Jake's SUV. All the supplies you'll need are in the bunker."

"What bunker? What's going on?" Mayrie asked, moving to get the twins all the same - she knew an order like this wouldn't be coming randomly. "Is somebody coming here?"

"The one under the hangar. The war they have been expecting has just left lunar orbit," Sara told her. "Jake will do much better if he isn't worrying about his family."

"And what about _my_ family?" Mayrie demanded, getting the two kittens out of their cribs. "Is there time to get May, Mitch, and Carrie?"

"A vehicle has been sent for them," Sara promised. "May _is_ Jake's kit now. The protégé bond is as strong as blood, or stronger. You are not the only ones I'm trying to protect for him."

"All right," she nodded, accepting it and hurrying out to the car with the two infants, grabbing a few of their toys to keep them happy during the wait. "How long until the attack hits?" She asked nervously once she was in the car, fumbling for the keys.

"Within the hour," Sara said from the SUV as the front and back doors opened. "I'll do the driving," she added as a shapely burgundy on black tabby shekat smiled at her from the driver's seat. "Holograms make the cops less nervous."

"Yes, I imagine they would," she smiled weakly. "Thank you. Probably best if you drive instead of me," she admitted, putting the kits in their carseats and sitting down between them. "It really is happening, isn't it?"

"Yes," Sara nodded, her long, dark red hair and silky black tail moving perfectly as the vehicle pulled out of its parking spot. "The space fighters are scrambling worldwide. It's far worse than we expected."

"Will you be watching Chance and Jake? So you can let me know, if anything happens," she explained. "So I can let the kits know."

"I'll be keeping tabs on everything," Sara assured her, breaking every hint of a speed limit and most traffic laws with the reflexes no living person could manage. "And helping with the computations when I can. I may not officially be part of the WDN, but I'm in it."

"Just promise we'll live long enough to have a chance to get killed in the attack," Mayrie asked, clinging to the seat tightly. "What makes this worse than you'd expected?"

"The number of ships. Three were expected and seven arrived," Sara said as they hit the barren stretch between the city and airstrip. "We will be fine. I am well within performance specs. He'd decommission me if I got anyone killed doing this."

"That's something. Who else is going to be coming out?" She asked, wondering how many people she'd have to prepare for.

"Ryan, Tezla and Samantha Clawson and James Redbrush, if he agrees to come at least," Sara said, breezing by the unmanned checkpoint. "Your kits are already here."

"Thank Bastet for that," she murmured as they pulled to a stop inside the hanger.  "How much do they know about what's happening?"

"That a serious battle is coming," Sara told her. "I'd offer a hand with the kits, but I'm not quite that solid."

"I understand," Mayrie nodded. "I can take them in."

"Mom!" May rushed forward with her siblings to hug her tightly when she entered the underground bunker that didn't seem much like a bunker to her. It was brightly lit and decorated, while somewhat sparsely, much like Jake's home.

"What is going on?" Mitch demanded.

"Here, let me settle the little ones," Ryan Clawson offered.

"Thank you," Mayrie said gratefully, handing off the kittens before they could start to squabble, getting down to hug her own kits. "There's an attack coming towards the city, Jake sent word for us to get under cover so we'd be safe. His Mom and sister should be on the way."

"But there have been attacks before and he didn't," May pointed out, worrying her lower lip.

"This one could be bigger," Mayrie admitted. "And he has advance warning, this time. Come, let's settle down and wait it out."

"Yes, Mom," May nodded and turned to sit at a drafting desk. "There's a weight room in there," she motioned towards the back.

"I noticed it," Mitch nodded, looking over at his mother. "Do you or Ryan need help with anything?" He asked.

"Go ahead, honey," Mayrie smiled at him. "Just don't do anything that requires a spotter."

"I won't," he promised. "I'll stick to fixed weights."

Mayrie smiled softly as she watched him head back, then went to check on Ryan.

"Want any help with the twins?" She asked the older shekat respectfully.

"They'd like to eat, of course," Ryan chuckled and picked up Cassandra to hand over. "I expect the life you have now isn't what you imagined when you began dating again."

"Not at all," Mayrie smiled, taking the girl and shifting her blouse to let her nurse. "But I don't know that that's a bad thing, necessarily."

"I must admit, it makes me feel better knowing there is a caretaker in the house," she smiled at the younger shekat that was her physical opposite in so many ways. "Both the boys need one."

"For the kits, or for them?" Mayrie teased. "Sometimes it feels like I picked up four kits, between Chance just being a big one himself, and Jake not always remembering things like sleep."

"Or eating," Ryan laughed lightly. "About the only thing I could count on is him remembering to shower. He's always loved the water."

"I'll bet that saved your sanity a lot when he was younger," Mayrie chuckled. "Bath time has always been one of the most difficult."

"For Jake, it was bedtime," Ryan smiled. "Which I expect is the hardest with May. Active minds rarely seem to like resting."

"I found a compromise," Mayrie smiled. "The usual trick is to give her something to do that can start her relaxing. Let her head keep working without having to be up in front of the computer or reading."

"That's a good one," Ryan nodded in agreement. "I always let the kits stay up, to learn to set their own schedule, but I home schooled them until college.  They all got too far ahead of things too fast to deal with public or private schools."

"I never had the resources to do either," Mayrie chuckled, shaking her head.  "Besides, they get a lot out of dealing with other students.  A lot more opportunities to socialize with people their own age."

"Yes, they've all missed out on a fair amount of socialization in school," she agreed, taking Cassandra and put her down on the blankets stacked on a table and handed Cameron over. "I tried to send my oldest to school, but even The Halls of Tenoic wouldn't deal with him."

"That would be... James?" Mayrie guessed, trying to remember the lessons. "Too smart for them, even?"

"I'm not entirely sure if it was too smart or simply difficult combined with very smart," she said. "He was not an easy kit to control at the best of times. It was probably for the best that he was not in the school system when hormones hit. I'm half surprised Jake said anything about him yet."

"Chance asked about him, I guess," Mayrie explained.  "It sounds like he met him as a kit in the past... how'd you compare him to Mitch?"

"There is no comparison," Ryan shook her head. "Mitch is a very normal boy. At least compared to James and Jake."

"I meant trouble-wise," she chuckled. "In terms of smarts, I know there's no comparison - he's got other talents." She stroked the back of Cameron's head as he suckled, smiling down at him.

"That is what I meant. James far outdid Mitch at the same age by a lot. Jake, not so much, but he never had James' destructive bent. He's gotten into more trouble in the last few years than he did as a kit," she signed. "Mitch doesn't have the same feel to him that either of my boys, or even the girls, did. He's just ... normal."

"You've got no idea how much that means to hear," Mayrie admitted.  "I know you probably had trouble with them, and it sounds strange, but I've been worried about him, lately.  He took to his father's crap entirely too easily."

"He is his father," Ryan smiled sadly. "Boys tend to do that, to look to the nearest adult male as a role model. Chance and Jake will help settle him when he's around them more."

"I hope so," she nodded, handing Cameron back when she was done eating. "So, how do you feel about them? As a couple? It's a pretty... unique... relationship, in a lot of ways."

"To be honest, I think we were all surprised it took them so long," she chuckled before glancing up to see her daughter walk in with a more than slightly annoyed expression. "They'd lived together for three years, and been partners for over five. I expected it to take a few months at most, myself. I know Chance is good for Jake, and you're good for both of them. It's strange, to be honest, our family isn't much for long-term relationships, but as long as he's happy in it, it's hard to object. I knew he liked toms before he was a teen. When he came back from Traveris, I knew there'd never be a girl or kits for him."

"He told you what happened?" Mayrie glanced at her.

"No, he's never said a word about it to me, or his mother or sister as far as I know," she shook her head. "It was just very obvious if you knew him before. He came home a changed Kat, but most obvious was how differently he reacted to females."

"They'll do that to a guy," Mayrie sighed.  "But I'm glad you're comfortable with it.  How are you holding up?"  She asked Tezla politely, trying not to focus too much on her full belly.

"Traveris?" Tezla asked as she walked up.

"Yes," Ryan nodded.

"I'm doing well enough," she smiled. "At least in this timeline, that tabby seems good at producing daughters," she smiled at the infants. "Both of mine are girls."

"Twins again?" Mayrie laughed, shaking her head. "I'm _almost_ scared of what'll happen when _we_ have them now. This is the second time he had single kits in the future, and twins now."

"Maybe that means he'll have better luck with them surviving," Tezla smiled. "He does make attractive kits, even if birthing them is going to be hard."

"That's the hope," Mayrie nodded. "It sounds like he had horrible luck with them in that future... I still haven't gotten all the details about it, and I'm not sure if I want to."

"You will," Tezla advised her. "It'll help you understand when he panics for no apparent reason. You had a taste of it with this invasion. It'll happen his entire life as events come up."

"You're probably right," she admitted. "But at the same time, as many things as have changed already... is it really going to be coming up that often?"

"I don't know," Tezla admitted. "I'm not sure how much reminders of the bad things will affect him. I do know that knowing what emotional landmines are there is very useful when dealing with anyone close to you."

"...You're right, of course," Mayrie sighed. "It just sounds like some very, very bad things happened when he was there, and I don't think he _wants_ to think about them."

"It might be easier to ask Jake," Ryan suggested gently. "I expect he knows, and he has always had a rather analytical approach to most trauma."

"At the very least he'll tell you if he can tell you," Tezla nodded. "And how hard it hit Chance. Probably a fair bit about how Chance will handle reminders. They've been through a great deal together."

"Yeah, they have," Mayrie smiled. "Mind if I ask you both something a little personal? About Jake and his taste in guys."

"Go ahead, though Sam can answer better than either of us," Tezla chuckled a little nervously.

"She is en route," Sara responded from a speaker.

"Hope she gets here soon," Mayrie murmured. "At any rate... what I'm wondering about is... how did you ever get over seeing him being affectionate with another guy?"

"We haven't see it yet," Tezla said. "Nothing more than holding hands on the couch at least. I know what they do and prefer not to think about it, but Chance has been respectful of Jake's desire not to be affectionate in public, or at least around us. The one person who went further was a shekat not long after he'd moved out, and we never saw or heard about her again."

"It's just... whenever I _do_ see them being particularly affectionate, I can't help but react to it. I'm getting better, slowly, but I still feel my stomach knot up a bit, and it's not just seeing Chance with somebody else," Mayrie tried to explain.

Ryan nodded in understanding. "It sounds like exposure is your best medicine."

"Everyone, please move into the weapons locker," Sara's voice announced as she lit up one of the doors. "The airstrip is an apparent target."

Mayrie picked up Cassandra, looking to make sure her kits were moving, nodding as she saw Carrie hurrying in, May right behind her.

"Mitch, hurry up!" She called out, moving into the weapons locker behind Tezla.

"Coming," he called as he walked out of the weight room.

"Where is Sam?" Ryan asked.

"On the road," Sara responded. "She's headed away from strike zones."

"What is all this stuff?" Mitch asked as the heavy safe door was closed and secured.

"Some of Jake's side projects," Tezla told him as she looked around at the weapons and armor. "Prototypes and such."

"Are there any ground forces involved?" Mayrie asked Sara. "Or anybody else nearby who's exposed?"

"Ground forces have not been detected," she responded. "This area is not well populated. The nearest people would not arrived in time. Brace for impact. Their weapons have powered up."

Mayrie put her arms around Carrie, pulling her in along with the two infants as they started squalling a bit.

"Sweet Bastet, let this be deep enough," she whispered quietly.

"Jake designed it to survive a full nuclear assault of his design," Sara assured them as the world rocked and trembled, rattling the contents of the shelves and racks, but didn't cause anything to fall. "If it does not hold up, nothing can."

"Was that the full hit?" Mitch asked, looking around.

"Yes," Sara answered. "They have moved on. Nothing above ground remains, but underground is still structurally sound. You can return to the living areas if you wish."

"How much warning will we have before another hit?" Mayrie asked before Mitch could run out.

"At least thirty seconds," Sara said. "Long enough to take cover. The air battle is under way now."

"Go ahead," Mayrie nodded, standing and letting Carrie up too. "I'll keep the kits here, try and keep them calm."

"I'll watch the older ones," Ryan offered while Tezla sat down next to Mayrie.

"I'll stay too," Carrie said, trying to be brave. "Jake doesn't have much for me to do."

"Why don't you help me with Cameron, then?" Mayrie smiled and handed the infant over when her youngest reached for him. "It seems fairly quiet right now."

"What will happen if home is destroyed?" she asked nervously.

"Jake has the resources to rebuild," Tezla assured her. "You can stay at the family home or at one of his friend's while the work is done."

"It won't be as bad as when we lost our last place," Mayrie promised.  "We have a place to stay besides with Gram and Gramps, and we've still got a lot of our things in storage this time.  And that's assuming anything does happen."

"Yes, you have more family now," Tezla assured her. "I know Jake will stay here when his place is damaged, but he has already talked to me about it now that you are part of his family. He knows his workshop is no place for kittens to stay."

"Okay," Carrie nodded.  "Will Daddy be okay?"  She asked, looking between the adults.

"Probably," Mayrie reassured her.  "They evacuate the drills when these things happen, so he'll probably be somewhere safe with his friends."

"He is currently safe in the blast-resistant shelter," Sara responded.

"Thank you," Carrie asked, looking around. "Who are you?" She asked the voice.

"I am Sara, Jake's computer assistant."

"How is the battle going?" Tezla asked.

"Badly, though Jake and Chance are still doing well."

"How many of their wing are still in the sky?" Mayrie asked quietly.

"Five of the Black Knights, seven of the advanced fighters," Sara responded.

"Something weird's happening outside," May called in from the other room. "One of the little ships started shooting at the others."

"Sara?" Mayrie asked. "Is Chance back in the air down here?"

"Yes, the space assault was called off before the alien ships descended," Sara responded. "The alien fighter behaving strangely was captured by Hard Drive."

"If you have to, can you arrange for 'technical difficulties'?" Mayrie asked quietly. "I don't want to make her get off, but I don't want her to see Chance going down either."

"She won't see anything traumatic," Sara promised. "It seems the battle has turned. The mothership has stopped, and so have the other large ships."

"Any idea why?  Not that I'm _complaining_ at all," she added.

"From internal communication, it seems that another group of aliens has boarded and taken over the mother ship," Sara responded after sorting through a multitude of transmissions.

"Those mice," Mayrie murmured, nodding slightly.  "I guess they made up their minds then.  Is it just MKC that's backing off, or is it over?"

"Xacal has been lost. Tusandrin has driven one off. Filhamar has been lost. Xenquii and Lothos are fighting. Salucia had divine intervention. Saydan Bay has suffered major damage. Given our odds, we are doing well."

"Hold it.  Salucia had divine intervention?  Who from?"  Mayrie asked, cocking her head.

"Tamorl, presumably," Sara responded.

"Where's Salucia?"  Carrie asked curiously.

"It is a very small country near Imitia that is ruled by a royal family dedicated to Tamorl," Sara explained.

"He's one of the Gods who isn't worshipped by many people in MegaKat City," Mayrie explained quickly, hoping that Sara would just leave it at that. She didn't need her youngest finding out about the exact ranges of deities on Aristal just yet.

"A Kantin god?" Carrie asked curiously.

"Nope! Just obscure," May called in. "Kinda like Tenoic - he's not Halikar, he's not Bastet, so most people in MKC don't really care."

"Thank you for explaining it so bluntly," Mayrie said dryly, though the gratitude was sincere.

"You're welcome," May said cheerfully. "The ships are retreating."

"Thank Bastet," Mayrie sighed gratefully. "How bad is the damage to the city?" She asked, sure May would be checking, but just as sure that Sara could answer faster.

"It has suffered worse, though not often," Sara summed it up. "Enforcer Headquarters, the government, industrial and dock sectors suffered the worst damage. Jake and Chance are both alive. The Clawson brownstone has been damaged, the condo was obliterated. I have not been able to raise the vehicle that picked up Sam since the attack began."

"Oh God," Tezla whispered, her eyes getting wider. "You... Sara, you said she was heading away from the strike zones. Did she get out before they hit?"

"I can not be positive without contact with the vehicle or a camera and sensor array near her, but there is a high probability that she is dead," Sara said.

"Odds?" Tezla managed to stammer, only just controlling her trembling and the sick knot in her gut.

"Thirty to one against survival," Sara told her. "I am sorry."

"I'm so sorry," Mayrie murmured, hugging Tezla tightly and felt the older mother melt into offered comfort before the tears developed into sobbing.  "There's still a chance," she offered, grateful she could at least offer a shoulder to try on.

"Yes, a chance," Tezla murmured.

"Sara, is there somewhere Tezla could lie down here?"  Mayrie asked.  "Until we have news either way?"

"Yes, there is a simple bedroom. I opened the door," she said. "Her vitals are stable," she offered."

"I'm sure," Tezla almost managed to chuckle before getting to her feet with Mayrie's help. "I'm not going to have a heart attack or miscarry because my daughter might be dead."

"I've heard of worse," Mayrie told her softly. "Try to keep a look at the bright side - she might be in a hospital or something, or on the way at least. Lay down for a while, we'll let you know if we find anything out."

"But probably not from a scientist," Tezla said as they walked to the relatively simple, but comfortable, bedroom. "I never thought I'd be this grateful for how paranoid my son is," she said as she lay down on the queen sized bed, one much larger than the room was intended to hold, and let Mayrie cover her with a loose blanket. "He really is ready to survive anything."

"For a very long time," Mayrie agreed. "Or at least comfortably. I'll let you know if we hear anything; until then, we'll take care of things." She leaned down, kissing Tezla's forehead on reflex, then caught herself and blushed. "Sorry, it's habit."

"It's okay," Tezla smiled and caught her hand to squeeze it. "I appreciate it, and my mother is going to need more comforting than I do," she added seriously. "She'll put on the same good face I do, but I just gave birth to Sam. Ryan raised her."

"She was still your daughter - but I understand," Mayrie nodded. "I'll go check on her."

"Thank you," Tezla nodded, closing her eyes to rest and ensure the kits she was carrying now did well.

* * *

"The big ships are headed into space," Jake reported after he'd torn their current target apart. 

"Any signs of the little ones pulling out?" Chance asked grimly, spinning them around a volley of shots from one wing of defenders as he shifted his focus to one of the mid-sized bombers that was trying to line up on the badly damaged Enforcer Headquarters.

"No, but quite a few are headed south," Jake frowned.

"The Mice have taken the mothership over MKC," Sara reported. "Fighters are likely redirecting to join up with the mothership fleet that is coming from Xacal. If you can spare a moment, I need to you to look at an area."

"After we get the bomber," Chance agreed, lining up a shot that Jake took, blasting the bomber out of the sky before it could make its final attack on Headquarters. "Where do you need us?"

"Sending the coordinates," she said. "I lost contact with one of my cars there."

"Who didn't make it?" Jake asked as his spine went stiff.

"Sam is unaccounted for," Sara admitted.

Chance was grateful that they didn't have to worry as much about physics in the new jet, as he practically turned it on its tail and took off.

"What about Mayrie, the kits, and everybody else?" He asked Sara, punching the engines.

"Mayrie, Mitch, May, Carrie, Cameron, Cassandra, Ryan, Tezla and her unborn are all safe and accounted for," Sara assured them. "We took a direct hit, but the safe house took no structural damage."

"Can you give us any better idea where to find Sam?" Chance asked, his eyes half on the scanners, picking off any stragglers as he came across them.

"Unfortunately not," Sara said. "That is the last location I have for the vehicle."

"Great," Chance murmured. "We've got some life-signs in the rubble, about half a mile ahead," he offered, coming in low, above the ruined remains of skyscrapers. "Jake... call backup, or head for the strongest ones?"

"Head for the strongest ones," Jake responded without even thinking about it.

"I'm passing your sensor data on to rescue crews," Sara said.

"We've got somebody there... Sara, details on the area?" He asked, pulling down near a particularly rough building.

"It's very unstable," she warned them. "It's already collapsed at least twice."

"Jake, do you think we could use the grav-guns to peel off the top layers?" Chance asked him.

"Hold us very steady," Jake nodded. "It'll be dicey, but it's the best option we have."

"Controls locked - Sara, keep the feed going to rescue units, along with as much condition information you can give them," Chance told the computer. "If we destabilize something, let us know so we can put it back gently."

"I will," she promised. "Sending information to the other grav-fighters we well. Rescue efforts are under way."

"Here's hoping one of these is Sam," Jake murmured to himself as he went to work taking the half-collapsed building apart, level by level.

"We're doing everything we can, Jake," Chance reassured him. 

"I know," he murmured, most of his focus on what he was doing. "At least MKC Search and Rescue is good at this kind of event. I think someone's clear. I see movement."

"Hard to see who it is - taking us in closer," Chance told him. "It might be Sam, I think I see part of an SUV under there."

"It's the right one," Jake agreed. "It's not her though," he added as he maneuvered the last large chunk of rumble out of the way. "He's still alive."

"I'll stabilize him, you take the controls and keep looking," Chance told him, opening the cockpit. "I'll be down there as soon as I can."

"Right," Jake nodded without question and lifted off as soon as his partner was on the ground to free someone in the building across the street.

"Sir? Sir?" Chance called to the half-buried male. He could see legs, part of the torso and a hand, but it wasn't clear if he was alive until fingers wiggled and an indistinct sound replied.

He took a grip of some of the remaining rubble, hauling it off the trapped Kat. With all the dust, he couldn't even tell what color he was supposed to be, but Chance kept working, trying not to breathe too much of it in, careful not to cause another collapse.

"How badly hurt are you?" He asked the tom once he'd gotten his head clear, not yet willing to look into the SUV.

"Shoulder numb," the tom moaned. "Broken. Chest hurts. The girl...car."

"I'll get to her after you're safe," Chance promised him. "EMT's are on the way. I'll have to leave you here; I'll try and see if I can get in."

"Jake," he radioed back, "we've got at least one survivor, shoulder broken, probably ribs and possibly a cracked sternum - I can't move him, but we've got the SUV under him."

"I've almost got two survivors uncovered here," Jake replied. "Do what you can, I'll be there ASAP."

Chance nodded, starting to clear more of the rubble, being as careful as he could. He hoped he'd find Sam safe in the SUV - they were built to take massive impacts, after all. At the same time, given the lack of sound from inside... he wasn't expecting much. Finally, he got a door clear, and he grunted as he opened it upward and looked inside.

He couldn't have been more shocked to find it empty.

He blinked a couple times, and focused on details rather than the body he'd expected to find. Blood, the windshield cracked from the inside. She'd been injured, but she'd gotten out.

"Damn it," he swore as he realized what this meant. "Sara, give me directions to anybody - living or otherwise - near me. Ignore the tom next to me," he added. "Sam got out of the car!"

"There are two bodies roughly her size eight meters north-northeast of you location, under a wall," she replied.

"Here's hoping they _aren't_ her," Chance murmured, hurrying over and starting to dig, breaking the pieces of the wall apart where they were strained, adrenaline helping him clear more of it ... until he reached the body. He felt his gorge rising as he recognized Sam, and saw quickly that there was no way her body could be in the shape it was and still be alive.

"Jake," he called through the radio. "I've found her... I'm sorry, she didn't make it."

"I know," Jake replied quietly with pain in his voice. "Focus on the living, buddy. The dead can't be helped."

"Tell me who's closest, I'll start looking... Jake, for what it's worth, it looks like she didn't suffer at all."

"Thanks," he said through a tight throat. "Nearest live vic is twenty yards in front of you, and down about ten feet. A kit, I think."

"I'll get him," Chance promised, hurrying off, trying to keep his, and Jake's, minds occupied.

* * *

"Jake and Chance are returning," Sara announced several hours later.

"Are they alone?" Mayrie asked softly, mixing some tea for Ryan and Tezla both. "And does Jake know?"

"Yes, and yes," Sara answered. "They were heavily involved in the rescue mission."

"At least I don't have to break it to him," she sighed. "How's he handling it?"

"As expected," Sara said. "Let his family see to him. He does not grieve as most do."

"I understand," Mayrie nodded, setting the tea aside and going to get the entrance for them both. "Who else did they lose?"

"Half the Knights, dozens of other pilots and likely a few neighbors given the condo complex was hit directly," Sara gave the ones that would hit the hardest. "A full casualty report will take weeks to compile, but it will be very bad for the elite combat units."

"It always is," she murmured.  "Going to be a lot of funerals, isn't it?"  She sighed, still grateful that the kits wouldn't have to attend.

"More than usual," Sara said as the heavy door to the shelter opened for the guys, showing Mayrie just how badly worn out the pair were, and dirty well beyond anything they could have gotten in the cockpit.

"Sorry we took so long, hon," Chance pulled her into a tight hug. "We're going back to rescue efforts as soon as we grab a bite."

"I understand, Chance," she said, hugging him back. "The kits are all just fine, too."

"I'm sorry, Grandma," Jake murmured as he hugged Ryan. "We found her."

"It wasn't your doing, Jake," she tipped his face up and kissed his forehead. "She made her choices. We all did."

"Your mother's lying down, at the moment," Mayrie told him. "I'll get something together for you both as soon as I can.

"Out of boredom, shock or humoring her?" Jake asked his grandmother softly.

"Humoring her," she said reassuringly.

"Jake, Shannon Gryas of Karidin Sportswear has been calling rather insistently for the last half hour," Sara reported. "Should I put him through?"

"Sure," he sighed deeply before making a visible effort to look and sound professional before he answered on his headset. "Doctor Jake Clawson."

"Major Clawson," the stressed out voice on the other side spoke, sending a ripple of tension through his body. "I know you have access to technology that can fix the almost dead."

"You want a dose," Jake interrupted him. "It's not...."

"Any price," the businesskat said evenly.

That was enough to make Jake pause. "My family needs a place to stay while ours is rebuilt."

"Hu? Deal," Shannon said quickly. "Bastet's Heart Hospital. I'll call my lodge, tell them you're coming."

"Deal," Jake agreed. "I'll send them. I'm going back to the rescue effort," he said before he hung up.

"Jake, we can make the drop faster than anybody else," Chance pointed out. "We could drop them off and be back to the damage zones before anybody knew they should miss us... I think Tanner's worth it."

"He is," Jake nodded. "They both are."

"You would have helped him without Mr. Gryas begging, right?" Mayrie looked at him.

"Of course!" Jake said with a look of sick shock on his face. "But I'm not going to turn down a nice place for you and the kits to live either."

"Mayrie, if any of them _are_ still in a shape for us to save, we'll do our best," Chance promised her. "It's just that there are still limits... we're not even sure if this'll help Tanner, we'll have to see. Come on, Jake, this outranks food - I'll run it on my own, if you're not up to it yet."

"You know I can go for days," the lean tom nodded and walked to the weapon's vault to get a bag of the nanites.

"Swing by before you head to the rescue," Ryan said firmly. "We'll have food for you and others ready to go."

"We will," Chance promised. "Honestly, if you're sure you're up to it, we might take you guys along too - they'll be looking for volunteers at the Canteen."

"Tezla, Carrie, Cameron and Cassandra can go to the house you arranged," Ryan said. "The rest of us will join you."

"Good," Jake nodded as he came out with a silvery bag that still caused Chance shudders to think about.

"We'll be back for you after we've gotten Tanner on the mend," the tabby promised and headed up to their fighter.


	58. After the Dust Has Settled

The dust has settled.

The rebuilding is well under way.

For MegaKat City, the invasion has degraded to the status of 'just another Omega attack' for most.

The most noticeable changes are in the higher-ranked combat wings, where most are still flying two wings to a patrol because of numbers.

"Hay, Artimis, how are the interviews going?" Rumble asked her counterpart in the elite single-seat Thunderhawk wing playfully.

"The interviews are fine, it's the tryouts that are weeding everybody out," Felina chucked from her jet. "Recruitment's up though. In a year or three, we'll have a bumper crop of good pilots on the way up the ranks."

"Raven - think they'll be able to train in the new toys by then?" Her wingmate, Jessica 'Pink Lynx' Snubtail, asked.

"The best of them will, Pink," Jake answered easily. "It'll be a couple decades before everyone does."

"Mostly because they'll need to be trained to handle it," Chance added. "We'll be getting more of them soon, hopefully."

"We will," Jake promised. "I'm still working with the manufacturers to make them a viable production line."

"Just how do you find the time?" Major Jack 'Ratter' Ferriday of the Thunderhawks asked in disbelief. "Full time Enforcer, inventor, live-in uncle...."

"I don't need much sleep," Jake chuckled.

"And he leaves the live-in uncle bit alone, for the most part," Chance chuckled. "Not to put any pressure on you, Artimis, but the sooner you get the new recruits in the air, the happier my mates will _both_ be."

"And the sooner we'll loose our best team," Kathie grumbled. "You guys have any idea how long I've groomed you to take over the lead?"

"Yeah, but the kits take priority, Rumble, sorry," Chance said, shaking his head. "We all knew it was coming."

"You're retiring this young?" Jessica asked disbelievingly.

"Shifting to training at the Academy," Chance reassured her. "So you guys better keep your skills sharp if you don't want the next generation showing you all up," he added with a grin.

"He wants to live long enough to see his daughter in uniform," Jake added.

"Goody, more Furlongs in the top ranks," Captain Alen 'Ricochet' Furlong grinned audibly.

"And a Furlong that'll be building the new jets," Jake added with no small amount of pride.

"Hu?" Jessica prompted for more.

"Mayrie's oldest girl is brilliant, like I am," Jake explained. "I've already taken her as my protégée. She'll be building the next generations of fighters with, and after, me."

"At least she's not _actually_ yours," Jessica laughed. "I'm worried about the first kits you have that you bring up yourself."

"Not for a decade, at least," Jake said, almost concealing how badly it stung. "Tech's not ready yet."

"Sorry, Raven - didn't mean it that way," she replied apologetically, her tone sincere.

"I know," he told her. "The kits to be afraid of are the ones Sundance is having with my mother. There's some serious fire there."

"That is _so_ weird," Tanner 'Shark' Evans muttered. "No offense, but really, it is."

"You're telling me," Chance laughed easily. "I was almost ready to call her mom when she asked, and not that way."

"Heh - that would've been awkward," Tanner chuckled.

"And maybe a _little_ hot," Jessica snickered. "In a weird, kinda creepy way. So, mind if we ask you two something? How'd we do, compared to the futures you saw?"

"Better, I think," Jake said. "We didn't get a lot on the battle itself, but I got the impression there wasn't much of the city left before."

"Well, that's definitely gone better," Felina agreed. "We've got most of the repairs done already."

"And the casualties may have been bad, but not nearly what Dr. Viper did when he turned the city into a swamp," Captain Thomas Feral agreed.

"Do _not_ remind me of that one," Chance groaned.

"Yeah, Sundance almost became Ribbit," Kathie laughed.

"And damn near ate me," Jake chuckled.

"Hey, at least I learned to swim," Chance grumbled. "Besides, I couldn't have eaten you - it'd be a perversion of the natural order."

"What?" Jessica asked, bewildered.

"Jake's supposed to eat me," Chance smirked.

"TMI, Sundance, TMI," Tanner laughed as the airwaves filled with the laughter of others.

"You have no idea how mild that TMI is," Jake's grin threatened to split his face. "Just because you _still_ won't admit who your boyfriend is ... do you have any idea how hard it is to keep my mouth shut?"

"Hu?" Tanner nearly choked. "How?"

"Future info, and face it, when I get a call like the one after the invasion, it's kinda hard not to put it together," Jake said.

"What call?" Tanner's voice tensed.

"The one offering me anything to save your life," Jake said. "Not like I wouldn't have anyway, but I guess he didn't realize that."

"He doesn't really mind putting you guys up," Tanner reassured him.

"You should _see_ how much he's blushing," Rumble observed, clearly amused.

"Shush," Tanner scolded her. "How long will you still need a place?"

"With any kind of luck, we'll be able to move in by next month," Jake said. "It'll be six before construction is finished, but much of that isn't needed to live there. The lodge is great, but I am so looking forward to being home again."

"A little privacy _is_ nice," Chance agreed. "Especially with the kits."

"Tell me about it," Tanner groaned. "They're good kits, but I swear, sometimes it feels like they're lurking," he teased.

"Sometimes, I'm sure they are," Jake chuckled. "Thirteen, nearly fourteen, is the age where they want to watch."

"Oh, gee, thanks _so_ much for reminding me of that," Tanner groused. "Definitely looking forward to you guys moving out, now."

"What's the matter - afraid Jake's protégée has a crush?" Kathie teased.

"That much I know I'm clear of," Tanner chuckled. "She's only got eyes for him, romantic or otherwise."

"She _is_ my protégée," Jake pointed out.

"Think she wants more?" Chance glanced over his shoulder with the transmitter off. 

"Not now," Jake shook his head. "It's not uncommon, but not yet."

"Good to hear it," Chance chuckled, turning back to the comm chatter while they waited for anything to happen - settling in to what they all hoped would be a quiet, safe patrol.


	59. Invasion writer's notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because they don't fit in the "notes" entry.

Terran Space Service (TSS) Steuerung (C&C ship)   
Fleet Commander: Admiral Pace; black, M, minimal accent   
Communications: Lieutenant Ramsey; white, M, English

Data Coordinators:   
Defiance: Captain Rivera (F)   
Poseidon: Master Sergeant (Marine) McCloud (M)   
Victory: Senior Chief Petty Officer Crawford (M)   
Shiva: Senior Chief Petty Officer Kapur (F)   
Retribution: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zhang (F)   
Hawking: Senior Chief Petty Officer Ivanov (F)   
Unconquered: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Decker (M)

TSS Defiance (Lead ship of the 7) - Vice Admiral Byrne (M): Xenquii   
TSS Poseidon - Vice Admiral Marino (M): Filhamar   
TSS Victory - Rear Admiral Lower Half Delgado (M): Xacal   
TSS Shiva - Rear Admiral Upper Half Mazur (F): MKC   
TSS Retribution - Vice Admiral Simard (M): Salucia   
TSS Hawking - Rear Admiral Upper Half Stewart (M): Tusandrin   
TSS Unconquered - Vice Admiral Yilmaz (F): Lothos

Retribution and Unconquered are some of the oldest ships in the fleet, dating back to their war with the Plutarkians.

Overall Invasion, on and off screen events: 

  * The pre-attack force of small stealth transports drop construction robots in various isolated locations around the world.
    * Odds are at least one is a place the Mice claim, which is bad, bad news for the poor troops that will come threw it.
  * Seven capitol spaceships enter threw the gate and dispatch their ground troops to the gates on the ground, along with ground vehicles -- APC, light tanks, marine units, etc, depending on the terrain and nearby cities.
  * The units that appear in Mouse territory are fairly quickly slaughtered. The Mice might be staying back for the assaults on the natives, but not their own lands. 
    * Huge political debate about when to enter the war. The majority rules to stay out as long as possible.
    * Rico and a few others decent, and are given permission to do as their conscious dictates, it just won't be official. It means a small pack of 8 are available to help the Kats, mostly around MKC.
  * The spaceships come within sensor range of Aristal and everybody else scrambles.
  * The five wings of new fighters go up to do their best to stop them
  * Major space battle
  * Aristal forces retreat after taking serious losses without major gains. They don't realize that they did manage to impress the hell out of several ranking officers with how well they did do given the forces ratio and assumed tech of their world. It's mark 3 against further attempts to conquer Aristal (the first two being blowing up bases 1&2).
  * The capitol ships come into near-moon orbit and settle with the space-warping shields up for a while as they coordinate their attack plans. After all, it's the first time they really laid eyes on the world and to assimilate the latest data gathered, including initial reports from the ground. Some are likely uneasy about it. They don't typically attack worlds this well equipped. They definitely haven't lost an entire unit before it can do much more than scream for help and babble about monsters.
  * The capitol ships head to their targets. I'm thinking in this story order. 
    * TSS Hawking - Tusandrin 
      * They find out the hard way that it's very difficult to challenge nature when it has a conscious will to destroy you. They probably back off before they're destroyed when the general retreat is called.
    * TSS Poseidon - Filhamar 
      * They arrive, shatter the few cities they find, are quite confused about the utter lack of visible resistance assault but claim the victory and move on to assist Xenquii (as it has many very large cities and a lot of resistance). They knew this country would be largely to the ground forces, but they didn't expect it to be quite this silent against the Fleet Carrier. On the ground there is intense resistance of elemental magic and guerrilla tactics.
    * TSS Shiva - MKC 
      * The fighters do a lot of damage before a small Mouse pack boards the capitol ship overhead, directly to the bridge, and take it in very short order. They use the information they tear from the human's minds to take the ship into space and reverse/kill life support in the entire ship except for the bridge (or some other effective way to kill a huge ship's crew). This causes immense panic in the rest of the fleet, but also makes them drop the shielding effort and allows them to open up their heavy weapons systems. 
        * While Rico now controls the TSS Shiva, and they know how to run it in theory, they don't have enough bodies to do so, especially not as a handful of humans manage to get to protected spaces and are still alive/running loose (of a sort). While the numbers aren't nearly enough to be a serious threat, they do prevent the Mice from just leaving the ship until an Enforcer unit comes on board to clear it out. 
        * Rico would contact J/C to get the unit there when they bring the ship down and let them in, but only J/C would be allowed on the bridge (possibly with Felina or Kathie) for a mind-to-mind download of what Rico knows of the ship, how to run it and what's still on board/where. 
        * The Mice would leave hunting down the remaining humans to the Kats as the price for the ship before Rico and pack to after another ship (the Victory, which is headed for MKC and the lost Shiva).
    * TSS Victory - Xacal 
      * All but walks threw the country, destroying whatever they want with minimal effective resistance.
      * They claim the country as taken and go to help the MKC to face the most technologically advanced air superiority resistance.
    * TSS Unconquered - Lothos 
      * After dropping their shields and taking out the capitol (Guarida - 'Den'), they discover the joy of having a full nuclear arsenal pointed at you, both ICBM, surface to air missiles, and loaded on board fighters (older ones, generally) that occasionally get suicidal close under guard from the super-advanced ones, if not blasting their way *inside* the Fleet Carrier, before detonating. 
      * I expect capitol ship goes down somewhere in their lands. 
      * The battle shatters their modern infrastructure, but as Chance said, they went from swords and leather armor to self-made machine guns and advanced fighters in a decade. They build and adapt as fast as MKC to demolition. This probably isn't even the worst pounding they've taken this century.
    * TSS Defiance - Xenquii 
      * Much like Lothos, but quite probably the largest (by population and landmass) industrialized nation on the planet. Enough nukes to kill the planet twenty times over hit a single Fleet Carrier more-or-less at once. The cities were hit hard, the population devastated, but the imperial family survived and they will rebuild. Not as quickly as MKC, but quickly enough. It is not the first massive devastation, and they do not expect it will be the last. Their culture of the empire and the whole before the individual goes a long way to help them in recovery.
    * TSS Retribution - Salucia 
      * As their weapons power up, all broadcast frequencies are filled with the screams and begging of the crew before the ship kills those who survive the direct pain. Tamoral's doing, and the only direct evidence of divine intervention, though only Salucia and Tamorl's priests believe it for some time.
      * Their ground forces are almost all assigned to Xenquii up front
  * The TSS Poseidon is now over Xenquii and taking a beating, calls a retreat with the only other ship still alive and theirs (the one over Tusandrin, also in bad shape). They head into space and gather up what's left of the fighters from all the ships (fighters fared better than Fleet Carriers, as they weren't targeted with such massive overkill). 
  * The Kats (some Kats) see them explode in the sky overhead. That is the gods doing.
  * Even though the Fleet Carriers are gone or captured, the ground forces, which always expected to do the bulk of the work after the first city-destruction runs, are still on the ground and only just starting to fight all over the world. They assume reinforcements will arrive, or at least come to pull them out. Under normal conditions, they'd be right to.
  * The war will likely be over in a few months, when a large Mouse pack gets to the gate and destroys it. With no way of bringing in reinforcements, it's just mop-up work now. 
    * It will take years to get rid of all the humans, and some (the Furs among them) probably decide to settle here when the war is clearly lost. Good odds they'll be killed, but some might not be.




End file.
